Snowed
by lmhsfan
Summary: Edward finds himself trapped on a snowy road, but he isn't alone. FAGE gift to addicted-to-romione-bedward.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Snowed  
**

**Written for: addicted-to-romione-bedward**

**Written By: lmhsfan**

**Rating: M**

**Summary/Prompt used: The snow storm caught two cars on an empty, now blocked road.**

**If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this exchange visit the facebook group: ****Fanficaholics Anon: Where Obsession Never Sleeps or add the C2 to get all the stories direct to your inbox.  
**

** community/Fagetastic_Four/98339/**

**This is my FAGE gift for addicted-to-romione-bedward, which, for reasons I will message her with directly, is both late and woefully imperfect. I beg her forgiveness on both counts. I will be updated a few short chapters a day until the weekend.**

* * *

Edward knew it was a bad idea, the whole goddamn thing: Alice's over-the-top wedding, her idiotic husband, the "old friend" he was being set up with, this ridiculous beater of a rental car, and Aspen. More than all the rest, Edward hated the idea of Aspen in the spring.

Who in their right mind would choose to have their wedding in Colorado? It's wasn't as though there weren't enough mountains in Washington. Was it the arid, brown landscape that drew Alice in? Or maybe the absolute unpredictability of the weather in this state? The day before it had been in the forties with heavy clouds that would not rain. Just that morning, it had been nearing sixty—another clear, dry day that Edward had been told was the norm. But now…now it was snowing, and he couldn't remember any of the overly-tanned weather men saying anything about it.

"I hate Colorado," he said to himself. "It's too dry…unless you actually need to get somewhere. No, not then. Then it's a fucking blizzard."

The roads became more and more slick as he drove, with fewer and fewer cars passing in the other direction. A few seconds of radio told him why: the pass had been closed up ahead. He mumbled a few obscenities to himself. A few minutes more and he learned that the road had been closed behind him as well.

"Super."

A cop came by and flashed his lights. There really wasn't anywhere for Edward to pull over, so he just stopped in the middle of his lane. The cop didn't seem to mind; he just pulled up right beside him.

"Afternoon, sir!" the cop shouted once everyone's windows were rolled down. "This road's been closed. It gets worse up ahead, so I'm gonna need you to head back toward the highway. I don't think your car can make it."

Edward suppressed a growl and scrubbed at his face. "Of course," he mumbled to himself, then said again, louder, "Of course! I'll just turn around. It's this stupid rental," he said, pounding the steering wheel. "I knew I should've gone somewhere else, but I just wanted to get out of there. And the forecast didn't say anything about snow."

The officer chuckled good-naturedly. "Not from around here, huh?"

Edward sighed in response.

The cop continued with laughter in his voice. "Just coast down 'til you hit civilization. Down shift whenever possible. Try not to brake too much." Edward wanted to say that just because it was his first time in Colorado didn't necessarily mean it was also his first encounter with snow, but wisely held his tongue. "Just make sure you're off the road in an hour or so; you don't wanna tangle with the plows."

Given its obviousness, Edward followed the officer's advice and coasted, more or less, down the mountain. He made good time. Though not much of a car, Edward's rental made a damn decent sled.

He was halfway to home free when the storm kicked up a notch. Edward's arms began to burn with the strain of fighting the wind, his back ached from the slight hunch and extreme tension he had taken on to feel at the ready, and his eyes…his eyes had practically gone to sleep. The drive up and the first leg back down and had been tenuous vision-wise. Edward had squinted and strained until he'd given himself a headache. Now, though, his eyes were on break, as there really was no point to their working; he couldn't see a damn thing. As far as Edward knew, the world had succumb to blinding white.

Lucky for him he was barely moving, or he never would have seen it in time. A hulking gray figure leaped out of the snow and Edward instinctively slammed the brakes. He regretted the action immediately. As the car began its spin, Edward somehow noted that the figure was a truck, but then his view changed to something slightly more interesting: an approaching guard rail, beyond which was only abyss.

Eyes clenched tight, Edward awaited the crunch of his fender meeting the metal barrier. He hoped for a solid crash and not the creaking give of his car—and his life—falling off the edge of a cliff. After a minute without any sort of jolt, Edward opened his eyes, surprised to find himself in as much of a fetal position as the driver's seat would allow. Once he was able to disengage his clawed fingers from his hair enough to lift his head, he saw that he was on the opposite side of the road, car sideways, face to face with the guard rail. He estimated to have missed it by fewer than six inches, being that, were he any further away, he likely wouldn't be able to see it so clearly.

Edward did a brief overview of his vehicle's status. The motor was still running, so he hadn't stalled; there was no crunch, so he hadn't crashed. But would he be able to move? At first, the tires only spun and Edward cursed God for his plight, but he reversed that decision when he saw that the car was still in Drive.

"Ah. Well…. Thank you, then," he said to whatever deity might hear him. With the shifter solidly in the 'R' position, Edward easily swung the car around to what he guessed to be the right direction. If he hadn't been on a slope, he'd have been totally lost. Still in Reverse, Edward backed slowly, inch by inch, up the middle of the road. When he reached the shadow, he stopped.

He pulled over so that he was in line with the truck, as far to what could be considered the "side of the road" as possible, and jumped out. It wasn't as bitterly cold as he'd assumed, but the wind tore straight through his jacket, and the snow seemed to find every unprotected crevice to settle in and melt, making him wet, and therefore freezing, almost instantly.

The truck was still, engine off, and the cab was dark. A few inches of powder had accumulated on the rusted metal and bore the unmistakable marks of wind. It had been there a while. Edward cursed the owner of the truck, having learned his lesson about God, and began his retreat. His car started quickly, and the heater was still warm; all signs indicated a swift and safe journey. But when he put his hand to the gear shift, Edward paused. The little D would take him home—hell, the N would likely do it—but he couldn't take his eyes off that R.

He didn't know if it was the ball of anxious doom in the pit of his stomach, the overwhelming sense of deja vu, or just being the cautious son of a doctor, but Edward cut the engine and braved the Colorado weather yet again.

_Just to be safe,_ he told himself. _Just to be sure._ There was no one in there, there couldn't be, he just had to see it for himself, so no one could ever ask him how it felt to know he could have saved a life if he'd only been paying attention.

The cab was just as dark and still as he remembered it, but this time he didn't just glance, he looked in. Edward scrubbed away at the layer of ice over the window, melting a small hole with his breath. He cupped his hands to the glass and pushed his forehead close, then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**The next one is a little longer, I promise. I'm going to try and post it in a few hours.**

* * *

Needled shards of glass pierced Edward's brain with sharp, incessant stings that emanated directly from the flashes of light on the backs of his eyelids. With each burst of purplish white, he felt one of his brain cells explode, taking its neighbors with it. In an effort to stop the torture, Edward opened his eyes, only to let out a groan-like scream when he found that this only allowed a steady flow of electricity through his retinas.

Gradually, the lights faded, and the agony dulled to a muted thud in the back of his head. Edward still couldn't see anything, but he couldn't remember whether or not he'd left his eyes open, so he decided to let that pass. He was cold, that he knew, and his spine felt a little stiff—nothing unbearable, but certainly uncomfortable—and he really wanted to stretch. He breathed deeply instead, waiting for his body to calm and his mind to catch up. He was still waiting when a light pressure to his cheek jolted him upright.

"Shit!" said a breathy feminine voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't- Are you okay?"

Swirls of white and brown spun around him. Or was he the one spinning? Edward couldn't tell. He sat blinking for a time, until the brown remained still. The white was still swirling, but it no longer made him dizzy, so he forgave it. For now.

The brown thing shifted and Edward finally realized what it was: a girl. And though she might have been ordinary under other circumstances, Edward's eyes perceived an angel. He wasn't sure if it was the concussion he had likely developed, or the blinding white backdrop of what he now remembered to be snow, but she was a glowing singularity. The faint flush of her cheeks, her earthen eyes and hair, were the only colors he could see. She was the only color in his world.

"Umm…. Sir?"

_Hark, the angel speaks!_

"Sir, are you okay?"

_Oh, she's speaking to me. _Edward cleared his throat. "Yeah, I mean, yes. Yes, I'm all right."

The angel sighed and began to speak again, so animatedly that Edward had difficulty tearing his attention from her face long enough to hear what she was saying, but he got the gist of it.

"Don't," he said, interrupting her apologies. "Don't worry about it. There are worse things than having a car door opened in your face. I'm sure I surprised you."

"You really did. I thought I'd be stuck out here alone for a week." The angel's words brought Edward back to reality. Suddenly, the air was cold, his body wet, and the girl in front of him was just a girl, kneeling on a snow-covered highway in a blizzard.

"Oh my- I'm so sorry." Edward's apology seemed to confuse the girl, so he elaborated. "Look at you, you're freezing! We have to get you back in the truck."

The girl, who had seemed fine, if not a little blue in the lips, suddenly seemed to realize how cold she was. She immediately wrapped her arms around her body and began rubbing. The motion brought to Edward's mind many other forms of friction, but he somehow found the strength not to say so.

"Or is it not running?" he realized aloud.

The girl shook her head. "It stalled about an hour ago," she said, then mumbled, "as soon as the cop drove away. _Of course._"

"Let's get your stuff then," said Edward, but he changed his mind when he saw her violent shivers. "On second thought, go get in my car and warm up. _I'll _get your stuff and then we can get home, okay?"

Apparently too frozen to argue, the girl immediately set out. Edward watched her walk away with the utmost concern. Did she always have so much trouble walking, or was the combination of ice and stiff muscles creating insurmountable difficulties? Three times, he nearly ran to her when she hadn't picked her feet up enough to avoid slipping. Luckily, when she finally did take a tumble, it was directly into his rear bumper, where she landed face-first into his trunk.

"I'm okay!" she called to him before sliding her way to the passenger side. He worried because the fall had left her face the unhealthy shade of beet.

When the girl was more or less safely tucked away, Edward set to his task. She didn't have a lot of luggage—two large bags and a dress wrapped in plastic—but they were heavy enough that he still had to make two trips. As he loaded the second bag into the trunk, the wind picked up and blew the dress out from where he had laid it and into the snow-covered road. Edward cursed and went after it, but he was beaten there.

The girl had somehow found a certain amount of speed and grace when she saw the dress fluttering away and was immediately out of the car and after it. Her miraculous turnaround ended however when she seemed to catch her toe on an errant snow drift and lurched forward, effectively stopping the dress…by pinning it to Earth with her body.

Edward was by her side in an instant, picking her up and brushing the snow off her clothes. He realized after a moment that he had spent an inordinate amount of time going over her chest and quickly dropped his hand. The girl didn't notice; her eyes were focused on the item Edward unconsciously clenched in his other fist.

The dress was ruined.

oOoOo

"She's gonna kill me!" Bella yelled out for the eighth time. Edward was counting.

They had been standing calf-deep in snow for almost five minutes, and all the girl would do was mutter to herself and make loud exclamations like, "I'm dead!" and "Please kill me!" If he were being honest, Edward was getting a little sick of the girl's fascination with death. He was also tired of calling her "the girl" in his mind.

"What's your name?" he asked, trying resolve at least one of his problems. And he did, just not the one he'd expected.

The girl immediately stopped babbling and looked at him. "Why?"

"Why?" he repeated. _Why not? _"Because if I'm going to lose my toes to frostbite over a ruined, ugly dress, I'd like to at least know the name of my captor. For legal purposes, you understand."

She stayed speechless for a moment, seeming to dither between guilt and annoyance, when she suddenly erupted into a strong fit of laughter.

"It is, isn't it?" she asked between giggles. "The dress, it's absolutely hideous."

Edward laughed along with her as they both stared at the de-bagged monstrosity laid out over the contents of his trunk. Ruffles and lace in the most disgusting shade of orange, this dress was the kind that had only one explanation.

"Who's getting married?" Edward asked as they climbed back into the car. The dress, they decided, could be balled up and left in the trunk—it really couldn't get much worse—and, after apologizing about his toes, the girl had revealed her name. Edward loved saying it. "Who would put a Bella in something so obviously not?"

Bella sighed. "Well, Edward…" If there was one thing Edward liked more than saying her name, it was hearing his from her lips. "You see, my brother…" But any further words were cut off. A loud grinding noise was coming at them from the back. For one wild moment, Edward thought that Bella's truck had somehow sprung to life and started driving at them, but then he realized what it actually was.

His hour was up. The plows were coming, and his tiny rental slash bobsled sat idle by the side of the road. Edward shifted the car into gear and slammed on the gas.


	3. Chapter 3

Edward slammed his head onto the steering wheel. It let out a muffled honk, but he'd stopped hearing them after the fourth or fifth. He was starting to get a bruise. He'd known it was too late; to have even heard the low scraping over this wind would have put the plow approximately…right on top of them. Still, he'd had to try. He'd slammed on his gas, lurched forward about two inches, then had to slam on the brake as the plow barreled through. It likely didn't even see him, and now no one would.

The little car was covered, absolutely buried in snow.

Bella had remained surprisingly quiet throughout the ordeal. She had opened her mouth a few times, but ultimately chose to remain silent. With one hand on the door handle and eyes fixed on Edward, she was also poised to escape. When the intermittent beeping finally gave way to a long, steady note, Bella relinquished her hold on salvation; Edward seemed more likely to hurt himself at the moment.

Tentatively, Bella reached out to place a hand on Edward's shoulder. His reaction wasn't immediate then either, but he did begin to stir. He took just enough pressure off the horn for the honking to stop, then turned his head slightly to the side. He still couldn't see anything beyond the passenger side floorboard. He listened for a moment, trying to feel out the mood of the car. He waited for the curses and frustration—Bella had every right to be angry with him—but they never came.

Her hand tightened on his shoulder, and he feared she might be too angry for words and chosen to just strangle him instead. He waited for the hand to move, for the grip to tighten further, then he heard the sniff. Confused, Edward stiffened, and the hand pulled away. Then came the unmistakable sound of a sob. He sat up so fast the car spun again.

"Oh, my God, Bella. Are you okay? I'm so sorry. I didn't even think! Are you hurt? Are you angry? Do we need to call an ambulance? My phone doesn't get a signal up here, but if you really need me to, I'm sure I could…" Edward trailed off when Bella began to laugh, a mildly terrifying, hysterical laugh.

"Am _I _angry?" she said after a moment. "Are _you _angry? It's my fault you got stuck in this mess. First, I knocked you out, then I panicked about that _stupid_ dress, and let's not forget you wouldn't be out here at all if I'd just stayed off the road an extra day like my dad told me to." It was a ridiculous rant, and Edward was sure to tell her so.

"Bella, how could I possibly blame you for my being here? It was my decision to take this… this _thing_ on a mountain pass." Edward pounded on the dashboard. "And please don't think you had anything to do with us getting stuck. It was my fault, really, that cop told me when the plows were coming; I just lost track of time.

"But…"

"No buts!" It came out as more of a bark than Edward would have liked. Bella's cheeks flushed and her eyes turned down to the floorboards. He was an idiot. "I'm sorry, Bella, I just…. It's not your fault, okay?"

Bella nodded, but still wouldn't look at him.

"I'm just going to go out and see if I can't shift enough snow to get us out of here." said Edward. He didn't know how to make things right, but he would think about it while he worked on getting them home.

Bella tried to follow him outside, but he made her promise to stay in the car and wait for him to come back. She didn't like the idea of sitting comfortably while he did all the work, so they compromised: Edward would try to dig them out, and Bella would sit in the car, engine off, conserving gas, while also preserving some of the temperature with her body heat. Edward didn't like the idea, but it kept her happy and out of the snow, so he agreed.

What felt like three hours later, Edward had barely made a dent. He checked his watch, only to realize that it had been more like twenty minutes. He knew he needed to keep working; the snow was coming down so fast and so thick, if he stopped now, he might lose all progress. But his muscles ached and he could feel his fingers turning blue inside his gloves. Snow had somehow found it's way into his boots and jacket again, leaving him a little wet and a lot frozen. Losing progress was one thing, but for the sake of keeping his limbs, Edward ventured back into the car.

Instead of the front seat, Edward jumped straight into the back and began digging around for an emergency kit. Rental cars had to have emergency kits, right? He hadn't seen one in the trunk; all they'd had back there was a flashlight and some rope—which were great for an impromptu jewel heist, but not exactly helpful now. He was vaguely aware of a crinkling noise from the front as he stuck his head under the seats. He heard Bella turn the ignition and the full blast of the fans. He couldn't feel the heat yet. Then again, he couldn't feel much.

Two car doors opened, then closed, and Bella was suddenly sitting in the back, looking down on him. "Looking for this?" she asked, holding up the edge of the space blanket she'd already wrapped herself in.

Edward nodded frantically. The slight smile Bella had adopted slipped from her face immediately as she ripped the blanket from around her shoulders.

"Look at you! Take this."

Edward hastily wrapped himself into a cocoon, but Bella pushed his arms apart and began unbuttoning his coat. She laid the damp fabric across the front passenger seat, and pointed one of the vents toward it before she turned back to Edward and started tugging at his shirt. He'd been with her up to that point, but now he was just confused.

"Bella, what are you doing?" he asked calmly, though he felt anything but. They had just met, but there was only so much a man could do when a beautiful woman started taking off his clothes.

"I'm taking off your wet clothes, Edward," she said matter-of-factly.

"Yes, I sort of figured. My question, really, is: why?" He closed his eyes as his undershirt pulled free from his jeans and their skin made direct contact. The warmth of her fingers on his cool skin was nothing short of divine. It tingled in the most pleasant way. His body, now a tolerable "chilly", forgot where he was and seemed to think this was an intimate situation. Edward instinctively covered himself with the blanket, effectively pushing Bella's hands away from his body.

Edward fought with himself. Pulling away wasn't what he'd wanted to do, not by a long shot, but he couldn't let the animal in him win. Once he'd finally taken control of his mind, and about half of his body, Edward opened his eyes again. The sight before him brought him back to base immediately.

Bella still had her hands outstretched toward Edward, and she was staring at them in such a way; it was almost like she couldn't believe what they had done. She turned them around twitched her fingers as though trying to understand how they worked. After a moment, she shoved them behind her back and sat on them, as though holding them back from doing it again. Edward nearly cried.

"Alone for five minutes and you molest the guy. Nice, Bella. Nice." She mumbled this quietly to herself, but Edward was able to hear. He hadn't realized what his internal struggle might look like from the outside, that his disgust for himself could be interpreted as a distaste for her touch.

"Oh, Bella. It's not that I don't want you touching me. I liked you touching me. I mean…no, that's not…. I liked what you were doing, I just don't think it's.… Look, I know what you're supposed to do in a survival situation, but I'm not…surviving, so to speak." Edward paused, confused by his own ridiculous ramble. He took a deep breath and tried again. "What I mean to say is, thank you for trying to help, but I'm feeling much better already."

Bella nodded and bit her lip, tears building up behind her eyes. She was clearly embarrassed.

"Hey." Edward reached out and un-tucked her lip, he couldn't help himself. Her chin was icy, as was her cheek. Even with the warm rush of blood filling her face, she felt cold to his freshly warmed hands. "Here," he offered, stretching the blanket as far as it would go. "We'll share."

Sharing a blanket side-by-side in the back seat proved to be an incredibly awkward position. Neither Edward nor Bella got enough of the blanket around them to really help. They shuffled a little until Bella was tucked neatly into Edward's side, which allowed them to almost close the blanket. Edward worried that the slight dampness of his shirt would make Bella uncomfortable, but she didn't seem to mind. At least it wasn't cold.

After a few minutes they were warm enough that they decided to turn the engine off once again. The silence was deafening.

"So," Edward started. "You never answered my question earlier. Who's getting married?"

Bella sighed. "My brother. His fiancee wanted Aspen, of all places."

Edward nodded. He had been thinking just a few hours ago what a ridiculous place Aspen was to have a wedding, even if you lived in the state. But apparently it was a popular destination, if there were at least two weddings on this one off-season weekend. "Where are you originally from?" he asked.

"Washington," said Bella. "State. Which makes it really ridiculous if you think about it."

Bella and her brother were from Washington? What were the odds of two different couples from Washington choosing the same weekend for an Aspen wedding?

"There are plenty of mountains where we live," Bella continued, "and trees, and snow, and whatever else she could possibly want. But no, not this bitch. She wants designer this and label that, a three thousand dollar wedding cake, and she just _has_ _to do Aspen_."

Designers? Expensive? This had all Alice written all over it. Was this her fiance's sister? Did Jasper have a sister? Yes, he vaguely remembered someone saying something about a sister. They were supposed to be twins, but complete opposites, that's all he remembered. Well, Bella was certainly Jasper's opposite, at least physically. One a lanky blond, the other a petite brunette. But if this was Jasper's sister…. Had she just called _his_ sister a bitch?

"I'm sure she's not that bad." Edward wasn't sure why he was defending Alice; he'd know since childhood she would be a bridezilla. In fact, he'd been thinking that very thing just as the storm hit. But something about hearing a stranger say it, having Bella be the one to spout out the negative, it just got his dander up.

"Oh, trust me, she is." Bella continued to bash her future sister-in-law, oblivious to Edward's tension. "Making people fly halfway across the country to attend this ridiculous spectacle. Who needs two live bands and an official master of ceremonies? She's _paying _someone to _host_ their wedding! It's probably Ryan Seacrest or some ridiculous thing. And that dress! Ugh! Well, you saw it, it's hideous! I wouldn't be caught dead in that thing if my brother wasn't marrying her."

"I'm sure it's fashionable," Edward muttered.

"It's crap! Just because it's _fashion_ doesn't mean it's not crap. Have you ever seen a fashion show? People _oo_ and _ahh_, but no one ever wears those things. 'Cause they're crap—cheap, ugly, crap with a name on the label so people with too much money can throw it away instead of doing something decent with it."

Now, Edward was getting pissed. She knew nothing about Alice. Alice was a sweet, caring, _generous_ fashion designer. Every year her label gave 50% of its profits to a different charity. And her fashions were _useful_. Alice designed everything from red-carpet to street clothes. Was it high end? Sure. Did she sell exclusively $10,000 dresses from a boutique in France? No. She had a line at Kohl's for Christ's sake! And who cared if she had enough money to throw a big wedding.

"It's her day, isn't it?" Edward finally said aloud. "I think a bride is allowed to be selfish on her wedding day. Everything from the engagement ring to the honeymoon should be exactly as she wants it." There, he'd said it, as calmly as he could.

"Ugh! You sound like my brother! It's disgusting! She could pay my mortgage with her daily shoe budget, and you're here defending her like she's not some mindless…"

"Hey…"

"…self-absorbed…"

"Wait…"

"…bitch-faced…"

"Just stop."

"…gold-digging _whore_ with a purse dog."

"MY SISTER IS NOT A WHORE!" Edward screamed; he couldn't take it anymore. "She is not a whore, she does not own a purse dog, and she earns her own goddamn money, which she shares, thank you very much. Not that she should have to. This isn't fucking Utopia."

Bella stared for a moment, mouth agape. "You're Rosalie's brother?"

"Yes! I'm Al-" Edward paused. "Who the hell is Rosalie?"

"Rosalie Hale…" said Bella warily, "the woman my brother is marrying tomorrow."

"No, I'm- Rosalie?"

Bella nodded.

"So your brother isn't Jasper?"

"My brother's name is Emmett."

"Oh." Edward was feeling a little queasy—and more than a little stupid. Making assumptions had certainly made an ass out of him.

"Yeah."

The silence closed in around them like a boa constrictor, and Edward searched the far reaches of his mind for a way to salvage the situation.

"Wait. Emmett? Are you- Is your last name Swan?" It had to be. How many Emmett's from Washington were there this day and age? Ones that could afford gold-digger weddings in Aspen?

Bella nodded and scrubbed at her face. "I knew this would happen," she mumbled, then addressed Edward directly. "Yes, my brother is Emmett Swan. _The _Emmett Swan, marrying _The _Rosalie Hale in what is supposed to be _The_ wedding of the century. I don't suppose she realizes there was already a royal wedding this year, but she probably thinks it's just as important."

"I don't know who _The Rosalie Hale_ is," said Edward.,"but Emmett and I went to high school together. It's pretty crazy about him getting drafted, right? Number three pick from Bumfuck, Washington. We weren't really friends, but everybody knows everybody in Forks. He was always big on the high-maintenance cheerleader-type. I remember this one girl, Tanya, she…" Edward trailed off, noticing Bella was not amused.

He coughed. "Anyway, I remember you now. Bella Swan, Emmett's sister. We just missed each other in high school, I think. You were coming in as I was going out, am I right?"

"You remember that?"

"Everybody knows everybody in Forks," Edward said with a wink. "You've changed so much, though. I didn't recognize you. But the last time I saw you, you were probably thirteen?" he guessed. "Yeah, it's been ten years, and I don't think we ever actually met. It sounds horrible now, but I only ever thought of you as one of the local kids at the time. I hate to know what you thought of me. I thought I was so cool with that aloof loner thing."

"You were," Bella said wryly. "At least the girls seemed to think so."

"I did all right," Edward admitted with a chuckle. "But don't get sucked in by that shy, brooding thing; it's just another way to play the game. Big, muscle-y guys like Emmett can flex their biceps and flash their dimples to get any girl they go after. I never went after anyone. The harder I made it for them, the harder they tried to win me over."

"So that's your game?" Bella asked with pursed lips.

Edward didn't like the fact that Bella thought of him as a "player". It was a stupid thing, to think he even had a chance with her, but if he did, he didn't want to ruin it with his high school antics.

He turned to look Bella in the eyes. "I don't play games anymore, Bella. Peter Pan has to learn to grow up if he wants to keep his Wendy."

Bella blushed red and turned her face toward her window. Edward could look no where but at her. He wondered what type of moment this was. Was this the moment that the guy sticks in his foot in his mouth by stepping over the line with a girl who's not interested—and therefore embarrassed by his attention? Or was this that moment when a guy makes his move on a girl that _is_ interested, but she isn't sure what to about it—and is therefore embarrassed by his attention? She did say she remembered him, and that she'd thought he was cool. Well, that girls had though he was cool, but she was a girl, right?

Actually, the more he thought about it, if she had such vivid memories of him, wouldn't that mean…

"It stopped," said Bella, halting Edward's realization.

He didn't understand what she meant at first, but when he followed her gaze out the window, he saw that the blizzard had come to an end. The sky was still a dark, cloudy gray, but night was rapidly approaching, and the snow had completely stopped falling; he had to go back out there.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked when he starting putting his jacket back on. "It's getting dark, and you're still damp. You'll freeze!"

"I'll be fine," he said, automatically, while fighting with his buttons. He only paused when she put a hand on his arm to stop him. "If I can't dig us out, Bella, we'll have to spend the night in this car." Edward took Bella's head in his hands to be sure she understood. "And if we spend the night in this car, we will either use up all our gas or freeze to death. I can handle this snow, but I _will not _let you freeze to death." He kissed Bella's forehead and jumped out of the car, careful to keep in as much heat as possible.


	4. Chapter 4

He'd kissed her. He'd actually leaned in and kissed her. Not a real kiss, but still; Edward couldn't believe what a stupid thing he'd done.

He hadn't even realized he'd done it at first. As preoccupied as he'd been with thoughts of Bella—getting her home, keeping her safe, making her warm—he hadn't been mindful of his own actions. He'd gone outside and started shifting the snow in earnest, thinking only of Bella, of how happy she'd be when he saved her. He might even get the chance to kiss her again. That was when he'd paused.

Again?

Why had he kissed her the first time?

Edward dug slower after that, which, in retrospect, was probably the smartest thing. His steady pace and frequent pauses for reflection were likely what kept him going long enough to complete the job. His hands were so numb in the end, he wasn't sure how he was moving them, and he was pretty sure his ears had fallen off, but it was done. Bella would be proud.

Thinking of Bella, as he had tried (and spectacularly failed) not to do over the past hour or two, brought yet another wave of guilt onto him. He'd had no right to kiss her—on the lips, forehead, or anywhere else—without her permission. He stalled for a moment, less eager to get back to the car than he'd been a moment ago. He swept the flashlight along the road ahead to try and map their escape. He'd successfully dug a car-sized path through the giant snow bank the plows had created. The road itself looked like tough going, not having been touched in hours, but he was confident in their chances.

When he'd stalled long enough, Edward went around to the trunk to put the flashlight away. The latch was too difficult to grip through his gloves, so he had to take one off. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination or numb hands, but the air felt warmer than it had earlier in the day, even now that the sun had gone down. He was still freezing, but it did seem more tolerable.

The snow on the car seemed to have become a bit more wet as well, heavier. Edward thought that this may have been due to the car's heat coming through—which he was really looking forward to—but the snow he'd been moving had gotten so much heavier as well. He'd attributed this to fatigue, but now he wondered if it wasn't actually melting. Melting meant water, and water would mean ice as the night wore on. Edward had to get Bella out of there, now.

Edward hadn't heard the low rumble in the distance, nor the dull scraping sound as the snow plows approached; he'd been too lost in thought to pay them any attention But he did see the headlights reflecting on the interior of the trunk. He had to move quickly if he wanted them to see him. They either needed to stop and let them ahead, or stop and give them a ride—he didn't really care which. They just had to stop.

Edward slammed down the trunk and turned to run out into the road. The fast, twisting motion of Edward's feet caused him to slide, and ultimately lose his balance. For the second time that day, he found himself on his back. There were no spots this time, or pain, only clear mountain skies and starlight. He was able to admire it for exactly three seconds before it all disappeared.

Edward's first thought was, _Again?_ He had passed out again? But he didn't feel unconscious. He felt…cold. No, freezing! He felt wet, and cold, and freezing. Mostly wet. He moved his head a little, and the blackness shifted, became a little less dark. That didn't seem right at all.

"Oh, my God!" What was Bella doing there? She should have been in the car, safe and warm. "Edward! I couldn't see you! Where's your head? I can't-"

Slowly, weight that Edward hadn't been aware of began to leave his body. Bella started at his face, then freed his arms and torso from the slush he'd been buried under. Even when he felt his body was free, Edward couldn't move a muscle. He was frozen solid, or so it felt, and pain was the only foreseeable outcome. He looked to Bella, about to tell her to just leave him—he'd rather die in comfort, thank you very much—but the look on her face halted his selfish tantrum. She was scared—terrified—and just on the edge of panic.

Edward allowed himself to be moved then. Every inch was agony. He didn't argue when Bella half-dragged him back toward the car. He said nothing when she shoved him so that he was laying down in the back seat. And he was more than content to continue laying there while Bella removed his clothing, this time out of necessity.

Edward protested half-heartedly when Bella removed her own coat and sweater, but she shushed him and reached for the hem of her tank top. She tugged at it for a moment, seeming to think it over. Edward held his breath and tried not to stare directly at her chest. He was entirely unsuccessful. Whether because she noticed Edward's lustful gaze or because she simply found it unnecessary, Bella decided to keep her top on. Edward's disappointment was short-lived, however, as Bella immediately laid her scantily-clad body along his, covering as much of him as she could.

Skin-to-skin like this, Edward had the sensation of a frozen mug being filled with boiling water. His heart began to pound in his chest. Bella felt the change in his heart rate and panicked.

"I'm not doing this right," she said to herself. She jumped up and ripped off her tank before Edward could say a word; he didn't have any left. If he'd been capable of moving at that moment, he wouldn't have been able to stop himself from reaching out toward her black cotton bra. As it was, his leaden arms began to tremor, fighting themselves down. But Bella wasn't done.

Before Edward's wide eyes, Bella unzipped her jeans. Her panties didn't match her bra—they were green and a little lacy—but Edward still thought she was the sexiest thing he had ever seen. The intensity of her movements, the absolute confidence she had in her body in that moment, it was…indescribable.

The hot water feeling intensified in his abdomen and spread outward. He still couldn't move his arms or legs, and he wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing. On one hand, he wanted very much to grab hold of Bella and never let go. On the other hand, he wasn't sure how Bella would take that; she was only trying to help, not turn him on.

As if to prove him wrong, Bella rested her weight on his hips, just above where he wanted her, and began rocking and twisting in a desperate attempt to remove her shoes and get the jeans all the way off. Every other second she shifted just enough to graze the tip of his length, seemingly without noticing. If he weren't so transfixed by her breasts, Edward would have gone cross-eyed at the sensation. She lay down on top of him again, and he could feel every inch of her skin where it pressed against his, burning, aching.

Just when he'd become accustomed to the feel of her, Bella popped up again, this time with her legs straddling him just, exactly, right…there. Edward groaned when she twisted on top of him, her legs tightening their grip to ground her as she reached backward. He willed his arms to move, just a few inches, consequences be damned. Bella swiveled again so that she was facing forward, an apologetic look on her face. Edward groaned again and bucked his hips involuntarily. It ended up as more of an uncomfortable wiggle, and Bella removed her weight, causing Edward to moan a third time. He couldn't stop the noises he was making, he didn't know why. The cold had frozen his decency filter.

"I'm sorry," said Bella. "I know I'm heavy."

Edward grunted in protest, but was silenced by Bella's body covering his once again. She seemed to be trying to distribute her weight evenly along the length of him, putting most of her weight on her knees and elbows, which rested on the seat. She had some difficulty adjusting both herself and the space blanket—the item she'd turned to grab—so that they both covered Edward completely.

Edward closed his eyes and bit his lip at the sensation of her slight wiggles and puffs of breath across his neck. He knew he should say something—his feelings were going to become obvious soon—but he didn't have it in him to stop her. She was going to figure it out eventually, probably call him a pervert and refuse to stay in the car.

But what if she didn't? Maybe she'd actually…like it? Edward dared to dream.

He imagined that the plow incident had never happened, that Bella hadn't had to drag him to the car to warm him, but simply attacked him as soon as he'd gotten back. In his mind, Bella had undressed them slowly, teasingly, then straddled him on purpose. Her wiggles were meant to entice, not to maximize heat absorption, and the hardened nipples pressed against his chest had nothing to do with his likely freezing skin. In his dream, Bella was just as excited about this as he was. He groaned again as dream Bella reached her arms underneath him and pulled herself closer.

"Umm…" said the real Bella, breaking Edward from his fantasy. "Is this okay?"

Edward looked down to see that it hadn't all been a fantasy; Bella really had reached her arms under his shoulders, thus molding herself to his chest. Her eyes looked heavy, yet uncertain; Edward worried she would move if he didn't say something soon.

"Fine," he squeaked. "It's- You're fine. Just, could you- If you don't mind-"

"What?" Suddenly alert, Bella began to sit up.

"No!" Edward paused, then apologized for shouting. "I just wondered if you might be able to umm…move my arms for me? They're sort of stuck, and I'd really like to warm them."

"Of course. Let me just-" Bella adjusted herself in a way that caused Edward to gasp. Bella apologized, thinking she was hurting his arms with her bending. It did hurt, but the pain paled in comparison to the pleasure he was feeling.

"That's better," Edward said when she'd tucked his arms so that they rested slightly beneath him, "but I'm still so cold. Would it be okay if you warmed them?"

Bella flushed slightly and nodded. The first thing she tried was to sandwich Edward's arms between them, but then there were only two possibilities his hands: crossed over her breasts, or straight down between her legs. Edward enjoyed each of her attempts at repositioning immensely. Eventually, Bella decided the smartest thing to do was to wrap Edward's arms around her back.

They both sighed when she finished and sank back down into Edward. It didn't take long for them to get warm. In fact, Edward's arms and legs had thawed after only a few minutes. Instead of telling Bella he was fine, Edward used his newfound mobility to his advantage. He tightened his grip in increments and had even started to absently stroke the ends of Bella's hair before she noticed.

"That tickles," she mumbled, then yawned. Edward immediately halted his movements. "Mmm. Don't stop."

Edward was only too happy to oblige. He moved his hands with a purpose now, massaging her scalp on the upstrokes and tracing her shoulder blades on the down. Bella's breathing picked up and she began to fidget.

"Edward," she breathed.

Edward stilled, awaiting either encouragement or a rebuff, but none came. Bella was silent for a moment, then she wiggled again, this time with an almost silent moan.

"Edward," she said again. "Please."

Edwards gulped, though his mouth had gone dry. "What, um, Bella?"

"Oh, please."

Not knowing what she wanted, Edward ran his fingers through her hair again. Bella sighed in contentment, but was soon back to begging.

"God, please, Edward. See me. Please."

Edward was confused; Bella was lying on top of him, how could he possibly not see her?

"I need- Ugh. Tanya."

Edward paused, startled, but took back up again when Bella moaned in protest. What did Tanya have to do with anything? He hadn't seen her since high school, neither had Bella as far a he knew. So why would she want to talk to about her now? And with such obvious disgust? Though it was true that Tanya had been slightly disgusting, Bella had no basis to think so. He was sure Tanya had never cornered _her _in the locker room after practice.

Or had she? Edward's mind began to race with images of Bella and an older version of the Tanya he knew, naked and soapy in the locker room shower. One a slight brunette, the other a leggy blonde, both of their bodies nubile and tight, their tongues dancing as they rubbed up against one another under the spray. Dream Tanya reached down between Dream Bella's legs, and she let out a moan. Edward moaned right back and moved a hand down in order to adjust his hardening cock. But the real Bella blocked his path.

Edward swore. How could he have let himself get so carried away with Bella so close? There was no way she wouldn't notice, especially now that he'd tried to stick his hand between their bodies. He waited, but there was no fallout. Instead, Bella let out a small whimper and ground her hips into him.

Edward couldn't believe this was really happening. All his fantasies were coming to life. Maybe not all of them, but the best, most realistic, recent ones. He brought his hand down to Bella's back and ghosted downward slowly, giving her time to change her mind. She hummed and sighed and groaned. Edward was thrilled. When she said his name again, Edward nearly purred. Then Bella turned so that he could better see her face, and something inside of him died.


	5. Chapter 5

Bella was asleep. Had been, Edward ventured, the entire time. He should have known. Why else would she be moaning and writhing so wantonly and without embarrassment? An hour before she'd been mortified over touching his chest. A little voice told Edward that he should be happy, proud even, that his presence was obviously illiciting some very vivid dreams. But the loudest voice, the voice of reason, told Edward he was a disgusting pervert, no better than a rapist. He was getting off on an innocent, unconscious girl.

Bella had no control over her dreams, or what her body did while she was dreaming them. Edward being the last person she saw might have been enough. Couple that with the relative intimacy of their position, and of course her body would react. His had. He was sure that hadn't helped either; Edward's eager reactions and pheromones likely did a number on Bella's subconscious. Hell, she could probably hate his guts and still dream about him right now.

Bella moaned again, still oblivious to her would-be attacker. The sound stirred something inside Edward that he quickly squashed back down. The whole situation was just so wrong. He began to slowly peel Bella off of him, but found the action useless; there was nowhere to go but the floor. Edward began the delicate procedure of rolling them over so that Bella was laying on the seat and he hovered over her in a much better position to escape.

But when Edward started to pull away, Bella reached up and wrapped herself around him. Edward had to extract himself from both her arms and legs, then practically throw himself into the front seat in order to get away. He reached back to cover Bella with the blanket, and couldn't resist brushing a bit of hair out of her face. Bella reached up and grasped his hand and, rolling onto her side, cradled it to her chest. She smiled in her sleep and hummed Edward's name again before kissing his knuckles and settling back down.

And though Edward's arm was bent at an almost painful angle, he didn't move all night.

oOoOo

Edward woke abruptly. The sunlight warming him through the windshield announced the late hour. He tried to sit up, but found that his body had molded to the seat in his hunched position and really didn't want to move. With more pops and groans than Edward thought possible at his age, he was finally able to stretch and twist just enough to relieve his aching muscles and re-set a couple vertebrae. He made a mental note to see a chiropractor once the whole wedding business was through.

His left arm, in particular, seemed to almost be out of its socket. Edward flexed and twisted in an attempt to pop the joints. He brought his arms up over his head and tugged inward on his left elbow, arching his back in order to fit. He let out a whimper when his muscles protested his position, a sound that somehow echoed in the back seat.

Surprised, Edward jumped and whipped his head back, pulling roughly on his arm in the process. The resulting pop was as much a pain as it was a relief, and he groaned out in satisfaction.

"Damn."

Edward turned to see Bella staring openly at his back with a sort of glazed-over look of- Was that need?

Afraid to jump to conclusions, Edward asked Bella what was wrong. Instead of answering, she flushed pink and cast her eyes downward. Her eyes widened then and she shifted her gaze elsewhere, a look of extreme concentration on her now-reddened face. Edward glanced down to see what she had seen and instantly matched her shade.

"I'm sorry. I can't-" He pulled the blanket out from under Bella in order to cover his massive erection from view. "It's just a morning thing, I swear." It was only a partial lie; he probably would have had at least a little something going on if Bella hadn't been lying on top of him in her underwear, moaning out his name.

Edward tightened his grip on the blanket and reflexively looked Bella over. He was disappointed to see that she had re-dressed at some point. Her eyes were fixed on his fisted hands, and she was biting her lip again. Edward cleared his throat; if she kept looking at him like that, he wouldn't be able to contain himself. Bella's head snapped up and Edward was able to catch just a glimmer of a wistful look before she shook it off and lowered her chin.

"Bella…" Edward wasn't sure what he was going to say. _Bella, I need you? Bella, please fuck me? Bella, I want to marry you and have dozens of brown-eyed children? _None of that seemed particularly appropriate, so he settled on, "Bella, please look at me."

She refused. Edward was at a loss. What had he done now? How could he fix this? He didn't know, but when he saw a tear roll down and drip off the end of her nose, his instincts kicked in. Edward crawled over the center island and into the back seat. He put one arm over Bella's shoulders in a comforting gesture and brought his other hand up to gently persuade her to make eye contact with him. Bella let him ease her chin up, but her eyes froze on his naked chest; he had forgotten the blanket.

"How did you do it?" Edward was confused by her question. "How did you get even better looking?" Bella elaborated. "I thought guys like you were supposed to peak in high school. My memories of you…it's like…you sparkled. But now, you just- You're burning me alive."

"And that makes you sad?"

Bella looked up, finally, and mirrored his confusion. "Sad?"

Edward reached up and wiped away her tears.

"Oh, that." Bella dried her face on her sleeves. "I'm not sad, I just feel pathetic. It's like high school all over again. Well,"—she laughed—"for me, it's more like middle school. I know you don't really remember, but I was sort of a baseball fan, and-."

"It was you," Edward suddenly remembered. "Front and center at every game, except the last one of my senior year."

"I had _continuation ceremony_." Bella scoffed. "Moving from one school to another is a big deal in a place like Forks, I guess. I would much rather have be- Wait. How did you-"

"We lost that game," said Edward. "Your face would give everything away. It was like you knew what I was about to do and you would sort of…smile, or frown, or get this anxious look. By the end, I could just glance over and know exactly when a runner was about to steal second, or if a batter was planning to bunt, just by your expression. It was sort of cheating I guess—I was useless on away games—but I counted on you, Bella. Maybe I didn't really know you, but I definitely saw you."

"Never the way I wanted," Bella mumbled, then clamped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, God, I'm such a- Are you laughing at me?"

Edward shook his head, trying to deny it, but the laughter eventually broke free. "I'm sorry, Bella, it's just- I was eighteen at the time, and you were, what, barely fourteen? It would have been more than a little creepy if I _had _seen you any other way."

"Almost fifteen."

"Well, I was almost nineteen."

"Still, we were both teens."

"At the end, but what about the beginning?"

Bella paused before saying, "Four years isn't that big of a difference."

"It's the difference between a kid and an adult at that age."

"Well, we're not that age anymore, are we?"

"No." Edward swallowed, realizing that he and Bella had gotten closer as they argued. Her face was only inches from his, her breathing staggered and rough. He studied her pink cheeks and fiery eyes for a moment before settling on her parted lips. "No, you're definitely not a kid any more."

It was Bella's turn to gulp as Edward leaned in. It was suddenly very hot in the car. Their lips touched, tentatively at first, but their mutual confidence grew and they each put a little bit more into the kiss. Edward struggled to remain a gentleman, only too aware of his state of undress. He wasn't the only one.

Bella was the first to introduce her tongue into the equation and when Edward eagerly balanced it, she snapped. She was on top of him inside of a second, running her hands all along his chest and shoulders. It took him a moment, but when Edward responded by placing his hands on her hips, Bella started rocking.

It was too much, too good, but mostly, too soon. He had to push her away.

"Bella, I don't think-"

With a muttered curse, or three, Bella scrambled off of Edward's lap, curled up into the furthest corner, and put her knees up as a a shield between them. Edward wasn't having it. He broke through her defenses one by one and without a word. First he unlocked her wrists and unwound her arms where they hugged her knees. When it looked like she wasn't going to protest, Edward placed her feet back on the floor and spread her knees slightly so that he could lean in closer.

All this, she allowed, but she steadfastly refused to look at him, even when he tried to lift her chin, so Edward attempted to persuade her. He kissed first her forehead then moved down to her ear whispering, "How long?" before nibbling on her lobe, then descending to her neck.

"Hmm?" Bella's head perked up, but her eyes remained closed.

"How long have you wanted this?" Edward said into her collarbone. "How long did you watch me, hoping I would see you?"

"Umm…"

"It isn't fair, really," Edward continued. "I was older than you; you had every right to want me. But I had to wait years for you to grow up before I could reciprocate." Edward was aware of the way he sounded, but he had to find a way to tell her that it was okay. She'd had a crush on him, and that embarrassed her, but now they were adults. Now he felt it, too. He needed to communicate that.

"I," Bella started. "I- I-"

"Shh, it's alright. I know." Edward kissed Bella's closed eyelids and they sprung open. Edward saw only vulnerability, with a hint of desire. His feelings exactly.


	6. Chapter 6

Bella sat, arms crossed, glaring at the road ahead. Edward had, for the dozenth time in as many hours, landed on her shit list for reasons he could not comprehend.

Before he'd had the chance to tell Bella how he felt—or better yet, show her—there had been a loud noise from just behind her head. Startled, Edward had pushed away from Bella to see the officer from the previous day tapping on the window with the butt of his flashlight. He had not looked amused.

He'd had Bella and Edward, clad only in his boxers, exit the vehicle. At nine o'clock in the morning, it had already been sixty degrees and climbing. The snow had already begun to melt. Edward had renewed his hatred for Colorado in that moment.

Through a series of nosy questions and disbelieving looks from the officer, Edward had been able to paint a picture that kept Bella's dignity intact—no dreams, near nudity, or intense make-out sessions. It had helped their case that Bella was fully clothed.

"That explains your clothes, or lack thereof," the officer had said. "But what were you doing nearly on top of her?"

Edward, who hadn't dared to even stand too close to Bella, had been unsure how to answer without sounding like a jerk. _I was hoping to defile her in the back of my rental car_ hadn't seemed like the smartest thing to say. He'd taken in Bella's anxious expression and known he couldn't do that to her.

"I'm sorry, officer. Bella and I were talking, and I guess, being cooped up for so long, I just got carried away."

"Looked to me like maybe you were forcing this girl into something."

"No!" Both Edward and the officer had been surprised by Bella's vehement response. She'd been silent up until then."I mean, what he said about getting carried away, that was true—for both of us. Heat of the moment, kind of thing."

Edward had apologized to them both for putting Bella in such a compromising position. She deserved better than that, and he never should have treated her that way. He felt terrible.

Now, as they rode back into town, Edward wondered, had he really just been a "heat of the moment" decision? It had been a little white lie when he'd said it, but to hear Bella agree so readily…. Maybe living out her fantasies had been fun to a point, but he hadn't lived up to her expectations. Maybe Edward, as a reality, hadn't been good enough. Or maybe she'd felt like she'd had no choice but to go along with what he'd started. She _had_ pushed him away. Had he been forcing himself on her after that? He had to know.

"So Emmett and Rosalie," said Edward. "When's the wedding?"

Bella didn't even blink.

"Do you, umm, have a date?"

Bella stared at him for a moment, as though trying to determine what language he was speaking, then turned back to the road ahead.

"Right. So, you hate me now? Fun." Edward had meant it as a joke—sort of—but Bella started to tear up. "You do hate me, don't you? Look, I'm sorry about…everything. I never meant to-"

"Will you just drive, please?" Edward barely heard the request, but honored it without comment.

As soon as they were in cell range, Bella and Edward each called their respective loved ones in order to give them an update. From the sound of it, Bella's new sister-in-law was more upset about the orange dress than anything else. Edward despised her. At least Alice pretended to care about his well-being.

"What happened Edward? Are you alright? Will you be here in time for rehearsal tonight?"

"A lot, yes, and yes."

"A lot? Like, hospital a lot, you met someone a lot, or you just got stuck in traffic a lot?"

"I don't know, Alice. No one's in the hospital."

"So you met someone?"

"Not…necessarily."

Alice caught on. "She's there with you now isn't she? Come on, Edward, you know I have a date for you."

"It's not…" Edward searched for the right words. "I'll still be all right with whatever you have planned."

"I didn't think one-night stands were really your thing," Alice seemed concerned for a moment.

"It wasn't-"

"Doesn't matter, as long as you're available tomorrow, we'll be fine." She regarded the topic in typical Alice fashion: as long as her plans could come to fruition, nothing else mattered. "I know you'll just love her, and you'll look so good together!"

"Won't you just tell me who it is? The suspense is killing me." The dread was killing him.

"Uh-uh. I told you, Edward, all I can say is that she's an old friend."

"Of yours or mine?"

"Of…well…nobody's, I guess. She's from Forks, though. I know you'll recognize her. Jasper's sister told me that one of her bridesmaids needed a date, and I said one of my groomsmen needed a date, so we're sort of trading people, you know, because we're getting married on the same day."

"Wait…"

"Oh, don't worry, you don't have to go to two weddings or anything. We just both loved the idea of a gigantic party, so we're combining our receptions."

"Alice, what's her name?"

"I told you, I'm not-"

"No, not the girl," Edward said impatiently. "What is-" He glanced over to Bella. She seemed preoccupied with a frustrating call to AAA."What is Jasper's sister's name?"

"Oh." Alice deliberated, but seemed to decide it wouldn't give too much away. "It's Rosalie. You know, from the Pepsi commercials."

"Rosalie Hale?" Edward whispered, praying Bella wouldn't hear. "As in _The Rosalie Hale_?"

Alice groaned. "Not you too! I swear, Emmett runs around saying that all day just to impress people. It's really- I shouldn't have said that. Forget I ever said that."

"Okay, Hagrid." Edward couldn't help but to joke; he suddenly felt much lighter. "I'm going to pretend you didn't just reveal that you've been in touch with Emmett Swan and that my blind date has some association with him."

"You better, Edward Anthony! It was supposed to be a surprise for both of you, and I won't have any part of my special day ruined by your last-minute manipulations."

"Of course not. Listen, Alice, I really shouldn't be talking and driving. I'll see you later tonight." Edward shut his phone before Alice could respond. He really didn't care what else she had to say at the moment; she'd already told him everything he needed to know.

"So, Bella," Edward said with an unerasable grin. "You never answered my question."

"Which question, Edward?" Bella answered tiredly whilst rubbing her temples. Edward almost didn't want to push her, but Bella was impatient. "Just spit it out."

"Do you have a date for your wedding tomorrow?"

"Who said it was tomorrow?" Edward frowned, and Bella sighed. "No, I don't, but I'm pretty sure my scheming brother has someone waiting for me. Besides, Bridezilla wouldn't allow her maid of honor to go unescorted. I'm sure she'd find a way to make even that about herself."

Edward chuckled, knowing just how right she was, but kept his thoughts to himself. If Alice wanted surprise, he'd let her be surprised, and then he'd get a whole night with Bella by his side. She could be as stoic as she wanted for now; it was nothing a little liquid courage couldn't fix. An uninhibited Bella could mean answers, and maybe some more exploration. Edward adjusted himself through the borrowed shorts the officer had given him. He'd sworn they were clean, but Edward wasn't so sure.

"Who's Alice?" Bella asked, catching Edward off guard. He answered immediately, hoping to encourage her.

"Alice is my sister."

"The one getting married?"

"Yes."

"The one who's definitely not a whore?"

Edward chuckled. "The very same."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, but it was no longer hostile. Edward felt that there was so much to say, but they were only minutes from their destination. There would be plenty of time to talk the next night, but Bella didn't know that. He wanted to tell her what he was thinking, at least partially, before they parted ways—permanently, as far as she knew.

"Bella, I- I just wanted to say, I'm glad I got to see you again."

Bella huffed. "Sure you are."

"I am."

"Edward, you got stranded, frozen, molested, and nearly arrested. What part of this do you _not _regret?"

"Well, the molested part wasn't so bad." Edward was rewarded with a blush and the tiniest of smiles for his joke. "But even with the rest, I can't regret the decision to come up here."

Bella's brows knit together.

Edward looked her in the eye for the first time since the officer, obviously disbelieving. "I could never regret finding you."

The statement hung in the air for a moment, each of them trying to wrap their heads around it.

"I mean…. I saved you, sort of, didn't I?" Edward amended. "I wouldn't have wanted you to freeze to death." Even as he said the words, he knew he didn't believe them. Had the circumstances been entirely different, her life never in danger, he still wouldn't regret their situation. But there was still that dread in the pit of Edward's stomach that had him worrying Bella had simply gotten "carried away".

Bella jumped out of the car the moment it stopped. She started a brisk walk, not looking back—until she remembered Edward had her luggage. He unpacked the trunk in silence, not wanting to upset her again; he seemed to be very good at that. She thanked him quietly. They both laughed when he pulled out the ruined dress. Edward thanked God for the lump of ruined fabric; it had given him one of the best nights of his life.

Unable to resist, Edward captured Bella's wrist when she turned away. "Can I- May I please kiss you, Bella?"

For a moment, it seemed she might refuse. Edward wasn't sure how he would get through the night if she did. But after a moment, and one more silent tear, she nodded her consent. The kiss was brief, but sweet, and so intense it left Edward breathless.

And then she was gone.

oOoOo

Alice and Jasper's rehearsal went well, as far as Edward could tell. All he really had to do was stand next to Jasper and try not to seem distracted. The looks his sister kept sending his way told him he wasn't doing a very good job, but she hadn't intervened, so she was probably the only one to notice. She attempted to engage him in conversation several times over dinner, but Jasper's physical therapy job wasn't all that interesting.

During dessert, Alice pulled out the big guns. She started talking about the blind date she'd set up for Edward at the reception. All around them, friends and family gushed about Alice's match-making skills and made suggestive comments about Edward's hotel room being put to good use. He ignored them.

Then Alice started dropping little hints in an attempt to entice him: she was younger, she had brown eyes, she had a job that required her to wear skirts. That last tidbit was surprising; Bella seemed like a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl to Edward, but he was sure she'd do it for her job. She probably looked amazing in a skirt. A short skirt, or a long, tight one with a slit down the side. Anything but that horrible orange thing.

Edward smiled as his sexy Bella fantasy turned into a pink-faced, pouty Bella wearing her miraculously cleaned bridesmaid's dress. He hoped she'd gotten out of it, or would at least have the opportunity to change before the reception, otherwise he might not be able to stop himself from laughing at her.

Edward snapped back to reality and realized that Alice had gone silent. All around them, conversation continued as though Edward weren't there, but Alice was glaring at him with narrowed eyes.

"I thought you said you were available," she said under her breath.

"What are you talking about?" Edward started picking at his carrots. "Of course I'm available."

"That wasn't the face of a man that's available."

"Alice, I really don't know what-"

"That, brother, was the face of a man that's falling. I should know." Alice squeezed Jasper's hand and he immediately stopped whatever conversation he'd been having to make eye contact. He just knew. They stared into each other's eyes in a way that made Edward uncomfortable; it was far too intimate a moment to witness from his sister.

"I'm not in love," Edward argued once Jasper had turned away.

"I never said the word 'love', Edward, I said you were falling—into what is your own business. You said this morning that _didn't exactly _meet someone. Can I take it to mean that you've known this person for a while?"

Edward wasn't sure how to respond. He didn't want to ruin Alice's moment, or somehow incur her wrath by telling her he'd found Bella all on his own. Literally. She took his silence for confirmation anyway.

"Edward, why didn't you tell me you already had someone? Even if it wasn't anything serious yet, I would have understood."

Edward raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, so maybe I would have insisted on meeting her, putting her in my wedding, and asking when yours was, but I would have calmed down eventually."

Edward chuckled at his sister; it was all just too like her. "It wasn't even that Alice. It was someone I knew a long time ago, and we sort of, re-connected last night. I guess you could call her an _old friend_."

Alice bounced in her seat twice before collecting herself. "I knew you'd get along," she said, taking a sip of wine. "But I wish I'd been the one to bring you together."

"Don't worry, Ali, you'll still get all the credit."


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm usually not big on author's notes, but this chapter gets two: excuses here, a funny story below. Feel free to pick and choose.**

**Since the last chapter I posted I have attended a wedding/reception, been evacuated from a wildfire (which is actually more likely to happen here in CO than being stuck in a blizzard, JS), had my new apartment sprayed for roaches, had the brakes go out on my car, and gotten some debilitating financial news. All this while working full-time at a hotel during season and not having home internet.**

**So, yeah, RL hates me. Please don't agree with it.**

* * *

Even as a man, Edward knew Alice's wedding was perfect. Instead of the traditional wedding march, she walked down the aisle to Christina Perry's "A Thousand Years"; if there was anything better, Edward couldn't think of it. He nearly teared up at the sight of his sister in her dress, and he had to let loose when he looked over at the groom.

Jasper waited with the most beatific smile, as though he had been touched by the hand of God—in the form of Alice. In that moment, Edward knew he wasn't an idiot. Well, maybe he was, but he was an idiot in love with his sister, and if even a shadow of their happiness stayed with them, it was a love that would last forever. It was in that moment that Edward accepted Jasper as his brother. Edward placed a hand on Jasper's shoulder and squeezed. Jasper looked back and nodded before turning back to his bride, his smile somehow even more radiant than before. He just knew.

The vows passed in a blur of "forevers" and "I dos", and then they were kissing. Minutes later, they were off, in a flurry of bubbles, to get the party started.

The reception hall was beautiful and had the most amazing mountain views on all sides. As he gazed out at the snow-capped peaks, Edward saw the appeal of Colorado. It wasn't anything he wanted for himself, but when the snow started falling in fluffy, white tufts instead of drizzling, wet slush, he finally understood why Seattle hadn't been enough for his sister.

Eager to see Bella, Edward had been the first to leave from his wedding party and one of the first to arrive at the reception. He had almost worried a groove in the floor by the time other guests from each wedding started to trickle in. Edward could easily tell them apart because Rosalie's guests had been encouraged to keep up up with the orange theme, whereas Alice had insisted on blue. There were, of course, several people who seemed to have missed the memo on dress code, but most were in some shade of blue or peach—as many of Rosalie's guests had taken issue with a full-out orange.

As the waiters directed everyone to their seats, an arrangement they seemed to have memorized, Edward kept his eyes peeled for Bella. Tables filled, but Bella never came. Edward nearly lost it. What if she'd gotten sick? What if she hadn't been allowed to participate in the wedding? What if she'd heard she was being set up with Edward and refused to come to the reception?

When the MC—who wasn't Ryan Seacrest, though Edward was sure he'd seen him somewhere—announced the arrival of the bridal parties, Edward breathed a sigh of relief. Of course both Rosalie and Alice would insist on as much ceremony as possible; in fact, he wasn't sure why he hadn't been asked to be a part of the spectacle. Edward looked around and noticed for the first time that he was the only actual wedding participant in attendance. With sudden realization, Edward cursed and ran for the door near the back just as his name was announced over the loudspeaker.

"I'm here!" he shouted once outside. "Alice, I'm sorry, but I'm here." No one seemed particularly impressed by this. Alice, least of all, seconded closely by who must have been Rosalie.

"You weren't in any of my chapel pictures, Edward." said Alice.

"What? I-"

"Our entire color scheme was thrown off, and now we have to do the whole damn thing again!" Definitely Rosalie.

"I'm sorry. It's just…you got in the car, and then-"

"We went over and over this at rehearsal! Me and Jasper drove away then circled back around once the guests had been cleared to take pictures." Alice had never been quite that shade of purple before.

"Pictures?"

"Yes, pictures. You know, with the cameras that go _click _and flash and make pretty paper for scrapbooks. God, Alice said you were smart!" If it were at all possible, Edward disliked Rosalie even more in that moment, although he did feel bad for forgetting about the photographer.

"I'm sorry, I was just-"

"Just shut up and get in line so we can do the damn reception pictures, idiot." Rosalie's venom did nothing to endear her to him, but Edward was grateful for the clear direction. Find a place in line, smile. He could do that.

Edward looked over the intermingled wedding parties; it seemed that everyone was paired off in complementary pairs of orange and blue. Jasper's friend Ben was standing with a small blonde in hideous orange. A tall, dark-skinned groomsman from Emmett's party had been paired with Alice's best friend Angela in sapphire blue. Each member of Alice's wedding had been paired with either a model or a linebacker, by the look of things, all except the person directly in the center of the line; she didn't seem to fit in with them at all. Edward loved that about her.

Bella blushed at his obvious perusal, but turned away quickly, almost directly into the arms of Angela's partner. The dark stranger put a hand to Bella's arm as though to steady her, but then it slid up her skin to trace along the lacy orange strap on Bella's shoulder. Much to Edward's delight, she made a show of adjusting her dress, brushing him off and stepping away in the process.

Edward was about to approach and take Bella for his partner, when he saw she already had one. The man behind Bella looked just like the other one, only shorter. They could have been brothers, if not for the look on the shorter one's face whenever he glanced up at the other; it was not a brotherly look—unless he was also into incest.

Edward sent up thanks to the powers that be for Bella's picture partner; anyone else he'd have had to punch. The tall one, he might have had to kill.

So Bella had her perfectly acceptable partner, but where was his? Edward looked up and down the line for the unmatched orange creamsicle. He noticed that Bella's dress, though still quite hideous, was much nicer than the others. Even the row of statuesque blondes—carbon copies of Rosalie herself—couldn't pull off what passed as a bridesmaid's dress these days. The maid of honor gown Bella wore was just different enough to be almost passable. He was about to just push Liberace out of the way when he found himself lifted off his feet.

"Ed-ward Cullen!" Emmett yelled as he let go of his tackle-hold around Edward's torso. "What's up, man? Long time, no smell. How's that arm?" Emmett threw a few playful—but still painful—punches at Edward before sidling up to his new wife. "We looked everywhere for you, man. Where'd you go?"

Before Edward could answer, Rosalie jumped in. "We really don't have time for this." Emmett looked at her like she'd just kicked his puppy. She sighed. "Just a few pictures, okay baby, then you and your…friend will have all night to catch up." Edward was surprised by her concession, but she wasn't done. "Unless you'd rather spend your reception and wedding night with your wife, that is." Her tone left no doubt: he wasn't getting one without devoting his full attention to her for the other.

Emmett's decision was easy. "Of course, babe. I'm sure Bella can get him caught up on things, right sis?" Bella blushed. "You remember my little sister, don't you, Ed? She still looks like the same; same scrawny little thing who used to drool over you at baseball practice." Emmett laughed and patted Bella—who had turned from red to green—on the back.

Emmett continued, oblivious to her discomfort. "But she's all grown up now, right, Bella? She could probably string a few words together for you now. Don't worry about the blush. I'm sure it's just reflex, at this point."

Edward had to admit, if Emmett was in on the set-up, he was being pretty blunt about it, completely tactless, and a little mean as well. Although, he'd had no idea that Bella's crush was common knowledge.

Anxious to change the subject—and hopefully lower Bella's blood pressure in the process—Edward turned his attention to the brides. "We've kept the ladies waiting long enough, I think. Where should I stand so that we might move on with your evening?" Both Rosalie and Alice narrowed their eyes.

"Your partner went looking for you," said Alice. "As soon as she gets back…"

"From hunting down your def, dumb ass," Rosalie supplied.

"…we'll get these pictures done."

"But of course it's too late now for the good pictures," Rosalie said accusingly. "Your sister will have to look at her wedding album for the rest of her life and remember that you weren't there for her. You took that moment from her, Edward. It can never be complete. You won't ever-"

Emmett put his arm around Rosalie's shoulder and squeezed, then leaned down to whisper something into her ear. She didn't look too happy, but she did stop trying to grind Edward into the dirt. For this, he sent Emmett a grateful smile.

"Fine," she said with a huff. "But for the record: you aren't good enough for her."

Edward didn't know how to respond to that. Part of him agreed; he would never be good enough for Bella. No one could ever be good enough for Bella. But the other part of Edward was confused by Rosalie's words. He'd had no idea that she and Bella were so close. From the way Bella talked about her, he got the impression that she and Rosalie hadn't gotten along at all, let alone enough for the Glamazon to be protective of her.

Just then, a girl with a clipboard and headset microphone came bursting into the room. "What the _hell _is going on here? Is this him? Is this the guy that ruined my perfect record?"

Edward backed away slowly from the woman he assumed to be the wedding planner. She was only five-two, but scarier than Rosalie. The fire in her eyes never dulled as she approached him, finger wielded like weapon. Somehow Edward didn't doubt she could use it as one.

"You. Miserable. Jerk. You. Selfish. Bastard." Each word was accompanied by a painful jab to the chest. "I'm trying to build a client list here. I'm _trying _to make a name for myself and not just be known as the dumb bimbo with pom-poms-"

_Oh good, _Edward thought. _Another friend of Rosalie's._

"Not only did you ruin their special day, but you've fucked with my career. If word gets out that I can't keep track of one errant idiot—the best man, no less—no one will ever hire me again. Are you happy with yourself? Well? Are you?"

"Now, Kate, it's not his fault."

Edward didn't know which of the women was defending him; he couldn't decipher the voice over the rushing of blood through his ears. He hoped it was Bella; he could really use her support right now. But if Alice had decided to take pity on him, he wouldn't argue. He'd have kissed Rosalie's feet if she got this angry little troll off his back.

"Men don't understand these things, you know. He was probably just in a hurry. To see what, I wonder? Or should I say, _whom_?" A hand gripped Edward's chin and suddenly he was staring into a familiar pair of golden brown eyes. "Expecting someone, were you?"

Edward gaped. Yes, he'd been expecting someone, but he hadn't expected _this_.

"Let's get this over with," said Tanya. "I've got plans for tonight…partner."

* * *

**I started this chapter last week, and expected to have it up by the weekend. Of course, all those things happened, so I didn't, but as you saw the mention of _A Thousand Years _was one of the first things I mentioned. When I first heard that song it was my friend telling me I had to listen to it because it was on the _Breaking Dawn_ soundtrack and wouldn't it make the perfect wedding song? I agreed, of course, because it is just fucking perfect. I used it here because I really wanted to see someone walking down the aisle to this song.**

**Well, as I mentioned above, I went to a wedding this weekend, someone I haven't been in touch with for about three years. When I looked at the program, I actually took a picture and sent it to my Twi-friend with the message "I am going to bawl my goddamn eyes out!" The "Entrance of the Bride" song was… Christina Perry's _A Thousand Years._ I seriously teared up just looking at it on the program. By the time the bride came through the doors, I was an absolute disgusting mess. That song is… perfect. That's the only word I have for it.**

**I apologized to my married friend at the reception; I was sitting in the back and wearing red, so I know my crying mess was like the first thing she saw when she came through the doors. Her response: "I knew you liked the song." She then told me she almost _didn't _use it because of it's association. She's as anti-Twilight as they come, but she heard it on the radio and thought it was perfect. Cause it is. I did tell her I was a little mad though, cause if I ever get married (ha!) I won't be able to use it. **

**So, ridiculously long story short: I _actually_ got to see someone walk down the aisle to Christina Perry's _A Thousand Years_, and it was just as perfect as my female hormones had led me to believe.**

**I'm pretty sure that song is the Fifth Element of weddings.**


	8. Chapter 8

**No internet. New apartment. Full-time job.**

**Don't hate me. *eep***

"P- Partner?" Edward said, feeling stupid. But how could Tanya be his partner? What was she even doing there? Why was she Rosalie's bridesmaid? God, she looked bad…

_Why the hell was she Edward's partner?_

"Remember Tanya, Ed?" Emmett wiggled his eyebrows.

"You look good together," said Alice.

"She insisted," said Rosalie

Jasper offered the only logical reason, in Edwards's opinion: "She's closest to your height." The partnerships did seem to be based on the smallest possible discrepancy.

At a loss for anything else to do, Edward dragged his feet toward his place in line…and Tanya. The photographer asked the men to wrap their arms around the women, and Edward felt the rise of bile in his throat. A few times, Jasper, by direction of Alice, reached over and tapped Edward on the shoulder.

"Smile like you mean it, Edward," she'd say. Her eyes added the _Or else_.

The entire party had to wait while this happened, and soon it wasn't just the brides that were annoyed with Edward. He was finally able to breathe when they were told to break up and let the brides and grooms take their respective couples pictures. Tanya seemed to think she should stay close and cling to him, but Edward somehow found a way to put the tall guy between them. Jacob, as he introduced himself to be, didn't protest too much. He did seem to be keeping one eye on Bella though.

Edward didn't like that at all.

Then the photographer asked Edward to step up and take pictures with Angela, the maid of honor at Alice's wedding. After them were Bella and Jacob. The smug look on Jacob's face was almost enough to get him punched. Fortunately for him, Bella looked so uncomfortable with the arrangement that Edward stopped worrying; Jacob wouldn't get very far, no matter what he tried. Then they did the mixed couples. Jacob was put with Angela again in a professional stance. It likely helped that Angela was already engaged to Ben.

Finally, it was Edward's turn again, and this time he got to be with Bella. His smile went from something strained and forced to a beam so bright, the photographer actually asked him to tone it down a bit. He didn't know what Bella was thinking—she always found a way to hide her eyes when he looked—but she never squirmed or fidgeted the way she had when Jacob held her, and Edward considered that a win. Toward the end she even seemed to be leaning back into him, but that may have been because he held her so tightly.

When they were done and the photographer started packing away his tripod, Kate the wedding planner jumped back in and started ordering people about.

"Rose and Em in the back, then Alice and Jasper. Yeah, like that. Okay, now I need Angela and Jacob. Edward and Tanya next, then- Edward? You and Tanya. Here. Now."

Edward, still clinging to a still not arguing Bella, hesitated to get into his place in line. He understood what they were doing; the aesthetically pleasing arrangement of complementary color-clad partners in ascending height was likely the result of some expert artist or choreographer advice. It didn't mean Edward had to like it.

"Seriously, Edward," said Rosalie. "What is your problem? I want my memories! I want my party!"

"I wanna see what this dress looks like upside-down!" Emmett seemed to think he was helping.

"I- Well, I-" Edward searched for some valid excuse. "I just thought it might be better if were partnered differently. Shouldn't the best man be paired with the maid of honor for the big entrance?"

"Ascending rank…makes sense." Jasper was a fucking Vulcan as far as Edward was concerned. But if anyone could argue with logic, it was a woman, and Edward's fate was in the hands of two of them.

He was afraid to hope until Alice stepped forward, a curious look on her face. She looked at Edward as though he alone were the puzzle, and not the standing arrangements. She glanced down to Edward's arm around Bella, and back up to his face several times. Her scrutiny seemed to make Bella nervous; she started to fidget and try to put distance between them, but Edward refused to let go until Alice asked her to go stand with Seth. Bella ran from him like he'd been holding her prisoner, which really hurt and confused him.

"I don't know what you're doing, Edward," Alice said under her breath, "but you need to get in line. Right now."

"But-"

"Right. Now."

Edward did as his sister asked. He even pasted on the same bleak smile as before in a half-hearted attempt to look happy about it. Tanya attributed his reluctance to other things.

"Never one for ceremony, were you?" She asked as they entered the reception hall. "Well, not me. I love the attention."

_More like _cries _for attention_, Edward thought. Tanya kept up a steady monologue all throughout the introductions and seating of both wedding parties, as well as the fathers' welcoming speeches. Edward very much wanted to tell Tanya to shut the hell up so he could listen to Rosalie's father speak, but managed to hold back until his own was up to bat. Tanya wisely held her tongue until Carlisle was done, then launched into another unsolicited recap of what she'd been up to since high school.

Tanya talked through their meal and the cutting of the cake. Edward made frequent trips to the bar and restroom. Whenever he was confined to his seat, Edward spent the time watching Bella across the room. She seemed to be having an okay time—Seth was apparently very funny—but mostly, she just pushed food around her plate and glanced over at Edward a lot. She always blushed and ducked her head when she saw him staring back, but Edward never wavered. He liked looking at her, and he wanted her to know it.

On one such occasion, Bella was blushing and Edward was staring, then Bella's eyes got wide and she turned away altogether. Edward had just enough time to be confused before he realized Tanya had stopped talking. She had gotten close to him throughout the night, but now she was almost on top of him, one hand on his thigh, face near enough to kiss. At such close range, Edward was forced to really look at her for the first time.

Tanya had aged terribly. Although she was actually a year younger than Edward, she looked to be in her mid-thirties. Her leathery skin Edward attributed to the tanning booth, a habit she had started in high school and only seemed to have indulged in more often in years since. She also never seemed to have learned proper makeup techniques; the dark, heavily-applied colors didn't help her look. Looking at her now Edward could see the potential for beauty in her. If she were forty, she'd be a fox.

A part of Edward felt sincerely sorry for Tanya and whatever circumstances in her life led her to believe that what she'd done to herself was attractive. In school it had been bleachers and back seats, now he imagined a lot of seedy bars and dark clubs for her, and, quite frankly, the thought saddened him as much as it disgusted.

She'd needed help in high school; as an adult, Edward recognized that. She'd even had this bracelet, started it at fourteen, a different bead for every conquest. She'd always told Edward she had a special one for him, just waiting for him to come around. He never took her up on that, but plenty of others did. There was only so much she could "accomplish" in a town like Forks, but she did manage to expand her collection with weekend trips to Seattle and Port Angeles. If she had it now, it would probably be a necklace.

Tanya coughed, and Edward realized he'd been staring at her chest, searching for the beaded tally of her past indiscretions. Tanya took it another way.

"I'm so glad you've decided to stop playing hard-to-get, Edward. I was starting to get discouraged." She emphasized her point by running a hand up toward his crotch.

Edward pushed back from the table and jumped up. "I have to speak with Alice."

"Mm. That's a good idea. Go say goodbye." It may have been his imagination, but Edward swore she reached into her dress to stroke something. Her bra strap? Or, maybe, a necklace.

oOoOo

"What are you doing?" Alice asked the moment they hit the dance floor.

"What am _I _doing?" Edward asked incredulously.

"Yes, Edward, what are you doing? I haven't even opened the floor up for dancing yet. We're supposed to dance with our husbands first, then the father-daughter dance. Rose is gonna castrate you."

"Then tell her it was your idea," said Edward. Alice balked. "Seriously, Al. Tell her…you thought it would be even better if everyone was already on the dance floor because…they won't be distracted by conversation at the table, and they'll have to circle you and watch."

"You're a truly evil genius, Edward, but it'll never work."

"Sure it will. Jasper's already got my back." Jasper had followed Edward's example and asked Rosalie to dance. She didn't look happy, but seemed determined not to spoil the night by letting anyone know it. Soon enough, other guests started to join them. Edward watched Jacob approach Bella over Alice's head, but Bella refused his offer. Smiling, Edward twirled his sister closer to Bella's table.

"What's with you, Edward?" asked Alice.

"Hmm?"

"Well, last night you were telling me all about how you _re-connected, _and today you're totally ignoring her, flirting with someone else. It's skeezy."

"Skeezy?" Edward asked. "I have _not _been flirting with anyone else. You're the one that stuck us together, I was just trying to escape."

"Didn't look like escape to me, Edward."

"What did you want me to do, stand up in the middle of dinner and say, 'Sorry, Titfuck, but I'd rather be with Bella right now.'"

"Who?"

"It's what we used to call Tanya in high school because she…well, because she was a slut." In truth, Edward hadn't meant to call her that; he hadn't been a fan of the nickname, even in high school, but he was feeling slightly hostile toward her at the moment.

"No, I knew that, Edward. I mean, did you just admit to trying to ditch Tanya for Bella tonight?"

"Well…yeah. Why would I want to waste time with her? She hasn't changed a bit. How do we even know her any more?"

"She worked with Emmett and Rosalie."

"Mm…"

"You know, because Rose used to be a cheerleader for Emmett's team."

"Cheerleader. Figures." Then Edward paused to think. "So she wears skirts?"

Alice nodded.

"So Tanya has brown eyes, is a year younger than me, and her job requires her to wear skirts?" Edward was about to vomit. "You set me up with Tanya 'Titfuck' Denali? Alice, what the hell!"

"Emmett said you two had history."

"If by history you mean I was the _only _guy in Forks that wouldn't sleep with her, then yeah, lots of history."

"I'm sorry, Edward, but you two do look good together, and Emmett made it sound like-"

"That asshat has probably been laughing his ass off about this all night." Sure enough, when he and Alice looked over, Emmett was making crude gestures and pointing to Tanya with unmistakable amusement. After a moment, he actually doubled over in laughter at his little joke.

Edward didn't think he'd find it so funny when he caught him in a broom closet with his sister.

"So it was Bella?" Alice whispered. "You were with Bella the other night, weren't you?"

"Of course it was Bella. In what universe would I have made a connection with Tanya?" Assumptions and mistaken identities must have been a genetic trait, Edward decided, remembering the Alice/Rosalie confusion. This made him think of Rosalie's earlier words. "You aren't good enough for her." Had she been talking about Tanya then too? Edward shuddered to think of it. In truth, he _didn't_ deserve her…diseases.

Alice pushed for details, and Edward gave as many as he was comfortable with, placing particular emphasis on the amount of miscommunication they'd had. Alice found most of it hilarious, but she wasn't laughing at the end.

"So you told the cop you just got carried away and made it sound like it didn't really mean anything?" Alice asked, looking angry.

"I had to! You should've seen the guy, he was gonna shoot me! What else could I have said?"

"Well, the truth would've been fine. Unless that _was _the truth?"

"No, no! Well…kinda." Alice stomped on his foot. "I just mean, I _did_ get carried away. I would have preferred a more romantic setting for what I actually had in mind. Besides, she agreed."

"Was she supposed to argue?"

"It would've been nice," Edward mumbled.

"You are such a girl, Edward. Don't you see what you did?" She paused, but Edward had nothing. "You rejected her."

"I didn't-"

"You didn't mean to, but you did. She was probably just trying to get out of it with a little dignity."

"Then what about the crying?" Edward asked, feeling he had Alice stumped. "She wouldn't talk to me in the car-"

"Because you rejected her."

Edward sighed. "Then I asked to kiss her, which is obviously _not_ a rejection, and she started crying and ran away."

"After you kissed her?" Alice clarified.

Edward nodded and Alice stomped on both his feet. Twice.

"Ow! What the hell?"

"You're an ass Edward, a self-centered ass if you really don't see what that was to her."

"She…" Edward decided to take a stab at it. "She was so mad at me the kiss was forced and disgusting?" He was rewarded with a pointed heel to the the shin. "So what, then, great girl-whisperer?" He asked, rubbing away the pain.

"You're normally so good at this," Alice whispered to her shoes. "Okay, pretend it wasn't you."

"What?"

"Pretend you weren't there with Bella."

"What does-"

"JUST…listen, okay? Pretend you weren't the guy in this scenario. Pretend you were watching it all happen, or reading it in a book maybe. Bella meets the man of her dreams on a snowed-in road, and various circumstances lead to them being stuck in a car together. Now, this man, we'll call him Norm-"

"Norm?"

"My story, my rules. So Norm is very gentlemanly and pleasant at first, all she'd hoped he'd be, then things start to get a little heated. Norm is putting his best moves on her, when they get busted. Now, instead of coming up with a good lie like he's Bella's boyfriend or just apologizing for getting caught like any normal guy would, the first thing out of Norm's mouth is that the whole thing was a mistake and he's sorry it ever happened."

"That's not-" Edward was about to tell Alice that wasn't exactly what had happened, but it was pretty much _exactly _how it had gone.

"So Bella agrees with him because…" Alice trailed.

Edward caught on. "Because she didn't want to look like an idiot by saying it _did _mean something to her." Precisely what Edward had done himself. Because he was a girl.

"Right, so Norm and Bella have an awkward drive, and when he finally realizes that _something _is wrong, he starts trying to talk to her. Eventually he wears her down and as they're saying goodbye, forever, because Norm never asked her for her number or tried to set up a date while they were both stuck in Aspen-"

"He knew he would see her again!" Edward argued. "I mean _me- _I mean _I _knew I would see her again."

"Because…"

"Because you told me I would. I thought that's who you were talking about, anyway."

"And you told Bella about this conversation?"

"Of course not."

Alice continued to glare at her brother. He never got it. "Edward, without knowing Norm's point of view, all we have is a guy who told Bella getting close to her was a mistake, but he was glad he could help, and now he had to go away and never come back. Then he threw her a bone in the form of a 'goodbye forever' kiss, which she took, even though it made her feel pathetic, because-"

"Because you can't turn away even the smallest piece of your dream, even if it hurts more than never grasping it at all."

"I was gonna say 'because it was better than nothing.'" Alice shrugged. "But I like the way you say it."


	9. Chapter 9

The couples and father/daughter dances seemed an hour-long medley of sappy tunes and tearful gazes; with two brides—each the type of woman to have been planning this moment their entire lives—the amount of spectacle and ceremony was nearly triple that of a normal wedding. And while the vast majority of guests seemed content to circle the floor and murmur about the beauty of love and marriage, Edward found that his legs and feet protested the idea of standing still for so long. Looking around, he saw he wasn't the only one; every man under the age of fifty had somehow found his way back to a table.

Then the MC—Nick something…maybe—asked that the floor be cleared for yet another rite of wedding passage: the speeches. Bella surprised everyone—including herself, by the look of things—by volunteering to go first, citing a need to "get this over with." She made a brief, stuttering speech extolling the virtues of her oft-misunderstood brother, his kindness and loyalty, and finished with a forced mumble about Rosalie's beauty and something about them being perfect for each other.

Everyone clapped politely while Jacob made his way to the stage. His speech was a bit more waffling, and crude, centered mainly around Emmett's mischievous locker room antics, some of which included Rosalie. A few of the guys whooped and hollered. Rosalie's friends and parents stayed tight-lipped throughout. Angela went next at Edward's insistence of a "ladies first" policy. Truth be told, he was stalling for time. He'd had a speech written, practiced, and prepared for weeks, but it suddenly wasn't enough.

Angela's speech was short and sweet. She had been Alice's best friend and personal assistant for years; she had dirt, but wasn't the type to dish it, choosing instead to say words like "perfect" and "forever" with a well-practiced eloquence so common in her line of work. And then there was one. Edward took his time getting started, first looking over his audience, pausing on Alice, and finally settling his gaze on Bella.

"I had a speech prepared," said Edward. "It was brief, to the point, and frankly, pretty boring. All the standard clichés, none of the drawn-out stories no one really cares about." The audience chuckled. "I'm usually not very good at showing my feelings, and I definitely didn't plan this, but today, I'd really like give it a try.

"I love my sister, more than I've ever been able to admit. I thinks she knows that. I hope she does." Edward glanced over to where Alice was nodding with tears in her eyes. "And I know she already knows this, but I might as well admit it to everyone: I hadn't exactly warmed up to Jasper before today. We haven't been able to spend a lot of time together, and part of that is my fault, but I'm an older brother; it's my job to hate him on principle."

"Hell yeah!" Emmett yelled from his seat.

"But that ended today when Alice started walking down that aisle. I looked over at Jasper…and the look on his face…it was love. Just love. Pure and concentrated to the point of being sickening, that's how much he loves my sister. And I thought, how can I hate that? How can I deny that look, that love? How can I not support them? It's what we all want, isn't it?" Edward was painfully aware that he was staring at Bella openly now, but she was staring back, and he couldn't find it in him to be embarrassed.

"I've never been in love," Edward admitted. Bella's shoulders slumped. "But from what I've seen today, it's…it's my goal. I'm ready. I want the look on Jasper's face to be all over mine. I want to be so blissfully, blindly, insanely in love with someone that it wouldn't bother me if her shoe closet was bigger than our bedroom…" He nodded to Alice.

"…or if her friends drove me nuts…" He glanced to Rosalie, who scoffed at first, then smirked and gave Emmett a kiss.

"…or if, for some reason, she needed constant reassurance…" Bella blushed.

"I've seen what it looks like when none of that matters, when nothing matters but her, and it looks like the best day of your life. Jasper showed me that. My _brother_ showed me that, and he and my sister have inspired me, as I think they've inspired us all, to seek that out for ourselves." Edward raised his glass in toast. "So to Alice and Jasper, I say thank you. Thank you for loving the way you do, in the most inimitable way, and inspiring us all to strive, to dream, and to see what's right in front of us."

Glasses clinked and there were a few soft claps—and sobs from overly-emotional old women—before Edward found himself rushed upon by Emmett who grabbed the microphone and loudly announced that the sun was not a monster.

"It's not a monster!" he repeated with a squeak. "No, but seriously, enough with the sappy shit. Just one quick announcement before we move on. You might have noticed our little color scheme here, and given our location…" Orange and blue, Colorado, Emmett and Jasper's careers; Edward connected the dots just one second before Emmett announced, "I've signed with the Broncos! And I'm bringing Jasper on as my personal PT. _WHAT!_" Emmett then dropped the microphone and booked it back to his table.

Before the wolves—in the form of enraged family members—could descend, the DJ kicked up Beyonce's "Single Ladies" and announced that it was time to throw the bouquets. The combination of two large guest lists meant there was a relative mosh pit of women. For safety's sake, Alice and Rosalie decided to throw at the same time.

There would be only one blood bath this night.

Rosalie's wedding party stood in formation at the front, looking intense. Bella stood awkwardly at the back, talking with Angela and a few other bored-looking ladies who were simply fulfilling obligation.

One bundle of flowers fell almost short, so that all of the orange and one blue-clad bridesmaid actually had to dive for it. And dive they did. There was wrestling, hair pulling, strap ripping, and Edward swore he even saw teeth. While everyone—men especially—was focused on the violent orgy taking place at the center of the dance floor, the second bouquet flew over all their heads and landed squarely between Bella and Angela's feet.

They each looked down, confused, before they started a lighthearted bicker. It seemed they were arguing over who had to be the one to pick it up. Angela flashed her left hand, indicating that she was already spoken for, which Bella seemed to think meant she should be the one to pick it up. Edward saw her point; catching the bouquet was supposed to indicate being the next to marry, and Angela would clearly be the next to marry.

Instead of seeing sense, Angela, kicked the bundle closer to Bella, who stepped away as though it were poisonous. Curious, Edward, strained to hear Angela's reasoning.

"That's right, it's inevitable for me. Now, pick it up, and maybe you'll meet someone."

Bella's eyes scanned the crowd, finally landing on Edward. He tried to keep his face neutral, but, for reasons he couldn't quite understand, he really wanted Bella to want to pick up those flowers.

Angela voiced his jumbled thoughts. "Aren't you ready to meet someone?"

Bella looked to Angela, then the bouquet, Edward, then Angela again. Angela looked back to see what Bella had been looking at just as she bent down, her face totally aflame. Angela quirked an eyebrow in Edward's direction as his face erupted in a grin.

She was ready.

When the dust cleared on the other side of the hall, there was a bit of debate over who actually qualified as the catcher. The bouquet had been broken up by so many hands grasping at it, and there were two distinctly large chunks, each being held by a blonde in a horrible orange dress. The tiebreaker, they decided, would be whomsoever had the cleverly hidden message attached to their stems.

The small one huffed and threw her flowers to the ground. Tanya had won out.

The garter throw was much more subdued. Most of the men cheered as Emmett and Jasper removed the lacy fabric—Emmett a bit more lasciviously—but hung back, not necessarily wanting to be the one to catch commitment. Edward was easily able to reach out and snag the blue one, while a small group of boys scrabbled for something that had been up Rosalie Hale's skirt. Edward didn't like to think of it that way, as his had come off his sister, but he definitely wouldn't be keeping the thing.

A singles dance was announced, to be led by the lucky four who had caught their golden tickets. The boy—Edward guessed him to be around fifteen—with the orange garter nudged him and asked which woman he wanted to dance with.

"I saw you talking to the blonde earlier, but if, you know, you wanted to play the field a little, I wouldn't hold it against you."

Edward scoffed. Did this kid really see Tanya as the more attractive choice? He definitely had some growing up to do.

Misunderstanding, the kid back-tracked. "I mean, if you guys have a thing, don't let me get in your way. The brunette's hot too, is all I'm sayin'. She could hold it against _me_, know what I mean?"

It took all of Edward's understanding to remember being a teenager and spare the poor kid's life. Putting an arm around the his shoulder, Edward leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "How old are you, kid?"

"Just turned sixteen, sir."

"Sixteen…" Edward didn't know what the age of consent was in Colorado, but he didn't want to take any chances. "Listen, you take the blonde, I get the brunette, but do yourself a favor and don't go anywhere alone with Tanya."

"Wha-?"

"Trust me, I'm older and wiser. The whole _Mrs. Robinson_ thing is a bad idea anyway, but you especially don't want it with Tanya." Edward wondered, what color bead would a sixteen-year-old earn? He wouldn't put it past her.

The kid looked lost. "Mrs. Who?"

Edward didn't answer. Bella was waiting. She stood on the edge of the floor, poised to run at any moment. He wouldn't give her a reason to. Not again. He was walking with definitive purpose toward Bella when something jumped out into his path and nearly toppled him.

"Oh, Edward, isn't this just beautiful? It's like it's meant to be!" Tanya seemed to be trying to claim him as her partner. "We used to play such silly games in high school, but I knew when you made your toast tha-"

"Tanya, stop. Just stop." Edward grasped her shoulders and looked her in the eye, trying to communicate that he would not be swayed. "There were never any games between us. There was never _anything_ between us, and there never will be. I'm sorry it's come down to this, but, really, we both deserve more than what you're offering."

Without waiting for a response, Edward brushed past Tanya and locked eyes with Bella, not daring to look away until they were practically nose-to-nose. She was already flushed and breathing heavily, staring up at him in a way that made him want to do more than just dance in front of all these people. It wouldn't be so bad, would it? Let them learn a thing or two.

"Can I have this dance?" he asked, a bit more huskily than he'd originally intended.

Bella shook her head. Edward was crushed. It must have showed on his face because she rushed to explain. "I don't dance," she blurted rather comically. "For the sake of your toes, we should probably just bow out now."

Edward smiled. "Nonsense," he argued. "It's all in the leading." Before she could protest, Edward led Bella out onto the floor. "Just focus on my face," he said, as much for his own benefit, "and let your feet move themselves."

Bella immediately stepped on his toes. Edward chuckled, and she tried to turn away, but he wouldn't allow it.

"Stay with me," he implored. "We can make it work." He wasn't sure exactly what he was talking about, but the words seemed to apply to more than just the dance. With that in mind he added, "If we stop over-thinking every step."

Bella blushed and stepped on him again, but this time she didn't react. Edward smiled and spun them gracefully.

"Maybe if we focus on other things," he suggested. "Maybe we should talk."

"T- Talk?"

"Mm-hmm. Talk." Edward was momentarily distracted by a strand of Bella's hair that had fallen in front of her eyes. He couldn't have that. He tenderly wrapped the offending lock around his finger and pushed it back behind her ear. When he looked back into Bella's eyes, he was shocked to find her…annoyed.

"I think I've had enough if your _talk_," she said. "Every time you open your mouth it's a contradiction. Glad to see me one minute, happy to leave me the next."

"I was never happy to leave you, Bella. Not yesterday, not in high school, and definitely not now. But I will…leave…if that's what you really want. I'd just really appreciate it if you heard me out before making that decision."

Bella nodded and, much to Edward's great pleasure, seemed to be gripping him harder, holding him in place.

"The other night was…. Well, I meant it when I said I didn't regret a thing. Because I don't. Not one single thing."

Bella pouted. "You pushed me away."

"I didn't want to take advantage of you," Edward defended. "I know you're an adult, and I shouldn't underestimate your…desires, but the truth is, you admitted to having a crush on me, and I didn't want that to cloud your judgment in any way. I like you, and I want you to want to be with me. _Me_, as I am now, not as the guy in your head." Edward knew he must look pathetic, but finally admitting the reason—the _real_ reason—he'd pushed Bella away was a relief.

"I never got to know you in high school, Bella. You were just a kid. But now, you're this woman, and I want you, but it doesn't seem right. I don't like that the past is hanging over our heads like this."

"Then why are you letting it?" asked Bella, more than a little impatient. "I was a kid with a crush on the hottest, most popular, yet coolly aloof friend of my older brother's. It's so cliché, it's unreal. Why do you think I didn't tell you who I was right away?"

Edward gaped. He had wondered if she'd recognized him right away, and if so, why she hadn't said anything until he'd brought it up. Well, now he had his answer, and like so many things about the girl with the expressive eyes, it was definitely something he hadn't expected.

"That doesn't explain everything, though," said Bella. "You pushed me away, presumably for my own good." She rolled her eyes at that. "And you _claim_ that you want me to get to know the real you, yet you walked away."

"It was the right thing to do."

Bella raised a brow, challenging him to back up that statement.

"You were upset," Edward explained. "You'd been crying, and I knew I'd be seeing you again today, so I thought-"

"You knew?"

"Well, yeah. When Alice told me that she and Rose were combining receptions, I-"

"You knew the _whole _time?" Bella seemed angry. Edward panicked.

"No! She told me yesterday, while you were arranging for your tow. Remember when you asked me who Alice was?"

Bella turned pink, and Edward came to a sudden realization.

"You already knew who Alice was," he accused. Of course she did. They were from Forks."_You _knew the whole time! Oh my…. How can you stand there and act like _I'm_ the jerk when you were the one withholding knowledge?"

"I didn't think you liked me." Bella shrugged, trying to pass this off as a casual statement. But Edward heard real vulnerability in her tone. "And you weren't the only one afraid it was just the old fantasies getting away from me." She mumbled the last bit so quietly Edward had to lean in to catch it.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Is it true then, what you said about getting caught up in the moment?"

"Yes. I mean, no! I mean…sort of." She held up a finger and took a minute to collect her thoughts. Edward could be patient, as long as he got his explanation. It started off much the same as his own after all.

"It definitely wasn't normal behavior for me," Bella finally said. "It was sort of like being possessed…in that moment. And any time something would happen to break that spell, I couldn't understand why I'd done it on the first place. All I could think was that it was the memories taking over, like my teenage self suddenly had free reign to live out her fantasies, and she didn't care about the consequences. But then adult Bella would come back-"

"And adult Bella cares about consequences." Edward was suddenly braced for the worst.

"Well, yeah! I mean, what if you didn't want me pawing all over you like some skank? I don't want you to think of me like that. But of course, it didn't look like you minded, so what if we went through with it, and it was okay, but not great. Or what if it was great…for me, but not so much for you? Or if it was great all around, but one night was all I ever got? Then I'd have to live the rest of my life knowing what it was like to have you, and not get to keep you. But of course, I don't know if we even have a connection or if it's just me being-"

Edward cut off her ramble with a kiss. It was cute, really adorable, how much thought she'd put into everything. It was everything he'd initially been thinking plus all that he'd recently realized, with a few extra insecurities he may or may not have shared thrown in. The only difference being that Edward was sure Bella had somehow managed to think all of that all at once since the moment she'd recognized him. It must have been exhausting.

"We most definitely have a real connection. I certainly didn't mind you pawing at me. And, if you must know—and I think you might relate—all I've been able to think about since we got close was whether or not I'd meet your expectations, if I was really what you wanted, and if you liked me enough not to regret it. It may or may not have even crossed my mind that you were only after one thing, that you wouldn't want me beyond fulfilling childhood fantasy."

"Really?" Bella asked with an expression of wonder. "You've been thinking all of that?"

Edward nodded.

"Oh my god… You- You are _such _a girl!" She burst into giggles. Edward tried to remain stoic and unamused, but it proved an impossible task with Bella laughing like that.

"I'm not a girl." He pouted, knowing full well it only hurt his cause. "I'm just overly-cautious, it seems, where you're concerned. I don't want to screw this up."

This sobered Bella immediately. She stared into his eyes, searching, but somehow determined. Edward wanted to ask, but the moment seemed too significant to interrupt. But watching her think things through so seriously without knowing or being able to influence her position: it was agony. Eventually, the searching stopped and resolve won out. And though Edward had been wishing to know her thoughts only a moment before, he was now terrified at the prospect.

"I've just decided something," said Bella, "about this whole past thing."

Edward nodded. He was afraid of that.

"Neither of us really knows how much of this is about living out fantasies versus a current connection. If we get together now, we may never know."

_So we have to go our separate ways, _thought Edward. _Go on, Bella. Say it._

"But I don't think it really matters."

"I understand," said Edward dejectedly. "I'll just-"

"Are you listening to me, Edward?" Bella was annoyed now. "It doesn't matter. If I _am_ being affected by the past, it's only amplifying what I feel right now. And I know what I'm feeling, it's real. And you… you didn't even _remember _me at first, and, like you said, it's not like you were attracted to me back then. Whatever you're feeling now, it's real too, and I think…. I think I trust you when you say it's more than just lust."

"So much more," Edward promised. He wasn't ready to stick any other 'L' words to it, but he definitely held a certain affection for Bella, an ache to have her near, and a thirst for all her secrets. It was a slippery slope he was looking down, he knew that, but he was more than ready to give it a shot.

The MC caught everyone's attention then to announce that the first band was set up and ready to play. Edward noted with some surprise that it wasn't just a wedding band, but Alice's favorite rock group. The second band, he wagered, would be Rosalie's. They announced themselves and started playing a song, their sweetest, most romantic song that Edward had been forced to listen to hundreds of times and only just learned to appreciate.

It was Bella's song, no doubt about it.

Edward looked around for his sister. He didn't know what Alice and Jasper's song was—he'd never paid strict attention to their relationship before the wedding—and he didn't want to become attached if this was it. Nothing would kill a mood faster than associating his girlfriend with his sister—unless it was with his mother. Then he wondered, was Bella his girlfriend? He allowed himself a moment to contemplate, but ultimately decided that it just didn't matter. If not, she would be, soon enough.

As he came to his rather freeing decision, he kept Bella and himself twirling on the dance floor, eyes peeled for Alice, determined to read her and Jasper, discover if this was already their song. But when he found Alice, she wasn't dancing, being romanced, or serenaded by her husband. Jasper held her firmly around the waist, but they were just standing, just watching people dance. Alice had tears in her eyes.

Edward looked around again, trying to see what made her so emotional, and that was when he realized he and Bella were alone on the dance floor. He glanced around again, trying to find an angry Rosalie—maybe this was her song, her moment, and he and Bella had ruined it—but she too stood off to the side, watching and smirking slightly.

Edward turned his attention back to Bella then, where it belonged, and finished the dance, singing the song into her ear, placing particular emphasis on the verse about being made for each other. Because they were. There was no doubt in Edward's mind that he and Bella were specifically molded to fit together. He'd felt it, even when a romantic love was out of reach. He'd always known her face, her heart, and now he was getting the chance to capture it. He wouldn't waste it.

The song ended, and the band thanked everyone for the applause. "That one was for Edward and Bella!" the lead singer announced, causing Bella to look around. She hadn't realized they'd been the center of attention over the last five minutes. She immediately blushed and stumbled. Edward caught her, and everyone laughed, including the singer. "We didn't write that song for you," he added into the microphone, "but I give you permission to pretend. Now, where's the woman that paid us way too much to be here?" Everyone laughed when Alice started jumping up and down. She really did love them.

Bella ran, for lack of a better word, from the dance floor, pulling Edward along with her. "Alice planned that, didn't she?" she asked, but didn't wait for an answer as they made their escape. Escape to where, Edward didn't know, but he'd follow Bella anywhere. "I know it wasn't Emmett. Look who he set me up with."

"I liked Seth," Edward mused softly. "He was a gentleman."

"He was gay."

"Exactly."

They were still laughing when Bella's truck came into view.

"Oh no, I'm not getting into that monster," said Edward, pulling Bella back toward his own rental. She tugged him back.

"Well, I'm not getting into that…_thing._" She gestured toward Edward's new favorite bobsled.

"Why not?"

"There are…memories," she said, her cheeks turning pink.

Edward leaned down to trace the shell of her ear. "I look at it more as unfinished business." He kissed Bella intensely, stunning her just long enough to pull her toward the back seat.

**THE END**

**JUST KIDDING!**

**Wouldn't do that to you, I swear. Although, I hope you consider this a satisfying end to the main plot portion of our exercise. If there ever was a coherent plot to this story… Shh… I'll keep my opinions to myself (**_**if you don't have anything nice to say…**_**), but I hope **_**you've **_**liked it. I'm going to attempt citrusy things in the next/final chapter. Maybe an epilogue/future take tagged on. I always like knowing where a story **_**really **_**goes. Also, there will be a little Bella outtake. **

**What was she dreaming about, I wonder?**

**Well, I don't, because I know. But I hope you are. Wondering, that is.**

**P.S. There were references to a very funny movie, a Saturday night TV show, and my very favorite band in the whole wide world in this chapter (and my favorite song of theirs—well, one of them). If you can guess them all, I'll give you… umm… I don't know. What do you want? **

**Virtual hugs? I got those.**

**Also, slayerchick303 can't play. It's cheating.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Lemons ahead, my first real attempt. I hope it isn't terrible. And this is it. It's done. Barring a non-guaranteed extra, this story is complete.  
**

* * *

The bed at the hotel was incredibly comfortable. Better than Edward's. The mattress, the pillows, even the sheets were softer. He wondered if he could buy it all…later. For now, he had a panting Bella with hunger in her eyes. They could be on a cardboard mat in roach motel for all he cared, but he was glad they weren't. The little voice in his head would have argued about that, but it wouldn't find anything to complain about now.

Short of their own private island, this was the best it could possibly get. Certainly better than a back seat.

When he'd pulled Bella into the back of his car, it had been an impulsive decision. He wasn't kidding about unfinished business. He didn't know that he actually wanted to…finish his business where they were, but they got pretty close. Teenage Edward was fulfilling a few fantasies of his own, and teenage Bella seemed to be enjoying his presence.

They'd been in a pretty hot and heavy make out session. Edward had reached for the clasp of Bella's bra and found none. He'd moaned out and Bella had shushed him. That's when he'd remembered where they were. He'd pulled back immediately, surprised to find that his hands had already found their way inside Bella's dress. They weren't anywhere interesting yet, but he'd known he wouldn't have been able to stop once they got there. And as tempting as it had been to let Emmett catch them and rub it in his face, he hadn't wanted Bella to be embarrassed.

He also hadn't felt like getting punched in the face.

Instead of getting self-conscious, as she might have done before their talk, Bella recognized the need for logical, adult thinking and climbed out of the back seat before Edward could even say it.

"Hurry up," she'd said from the front. "Or I might have to ask Jacob to take me home."

Edward had sped to and through the hotel; the girl at the front desk had barely gotten out a quick "Welcome back!" before the elevator had closed behind them. And now he had Bella alone in his room, in this bed—temptation personified—with no reason to hold back.

"Please, Edward." She was begging. She should never have to beg. Edward shook his head, clearing his thoughts and bringing Bella back into focus. Pale skin, flushed cheeks, dark, pleading eyes: there had to be a word better than "perfect".

"Tell me, Bella," he said into her neck. "This is your dream. Tell me what happens next."

"Well, usually, you'd start by taking off your clothes."

Edward, only too happy to oblige, pulled off his suit jacket and threw it across the room. His pants came off quickly, leaving him in his dress shirt and loosened bow tie. Bella giggled at the image.

"Let me help," she said as he struggled with the buttons. Her clumsy, shaking hands took on a sudden confidence as she deftly pushed the plastic through the loops. If Edward had any room left for worry, he quickly replaced it with thoughts of Bella's hands and all they were likely capable of.

When the buttons were undone, Bella pushed the shirt off Edward's shoulders and watched while he pulled the undershirt up over his head. Head still trapped in cotton, Edward felt hands covering his naked torso, tentative at first, but soon exploring in earnest.

"This was all I could think about in the car," she admitted when their eyes met. "How close I was to being able to touch you the way I dreamed about, how you would feel, how you would taste." Edward's eyes crossed and she brushed along the elastic of his boxer briefs with the last statement.

He stopped her. "Not yet," he growled out, slowly lowering his face to hers. As they kissed, he kept leaning forward, until Bella was forced to lie on her back with Edward hovering above her. He carefully unzipped the side of Bella's dress and peeled the fabric back, revealing his gift.

"What's next?" he asked, kissing the space between her breasts and working his way down to the edge of the orange lace.

Bella didn't answer until Edward stopped and looked up at her. "What happens next?" he asked again.

"You um…. You were doing fine." Bella's face was torn somewhere between embarrassment and that same pleading look from before.

Edward smiled. "Your wish, my command."

He started slowly, wanting to draw this out, make it everything Bella had dreamed it would be. He sat up and wrapped an arm around Bella's waist, carefully lifting her so that he could move the loose portion of the dress down, leaving Bella exposed from the hips up. Edward explored her belly button with his tongue while his hands worked their way under the dress to massage her hips.

When Bella started to really squirm, Edward turned upward, kissing a line toward her chest. His hands tried to move around to Bella's behind, but the wrapped fabric of the dress was too tight to accommodate them. Instead, they jumped ahead on the path his mouth had taken and wrapped themselves around Bella's breasts, preparing them.

One hand continued to gently tug and roll at her right nipple while his tongue took over on the left. Every minute or so, he would switch, and each time it felt like something new. Edward wondered if there was actually a world record for adult nursing. He might be the first to suggest it. It was worth looking into, purely in the name of history…or science…or whatever reasoning Bella might accept to allow such a thing.

He set up camp there for a while, probably too long, never ceasing to be amazed at the wonders of Bella's breasts. He pushed them together and kneaded them roughly, cupped them softly and kissed them gently. For Bella's part, she seemed to enjoy the attention, grabbing onto Edward's hair, tugging and pushing as needed. Well before Edward was ready to abandon his post, however, Bella seemed eager for him to move on.

"Edward, please. You're driving me crazy."

Edward smirked as she bucked her hips up in a desperate attempt to find friction. He lingered for another moment, bringing a frustrated moan from Bella who pulled his hair roughly, demanding he move to kiss her. The kiss was violent, but brief, and commanding. Bella had waited long enough; it was time.

When Bella broke the kiss, Edward sat up and immediately set to work on removing her dress. The zipper had stopped at her hip and the fabric was wrapped tightly around her body from there to mid-thigh. Edward wiggled and tugged for a few awkward moments, but was barely able to move it another inch. Bella instructed him to try the zipper, which was supposed to go down to almost the bottom.

It was stuck.

Edward tried forcing it for a moment, only to end up roaring out, "I hate this fucking thing!" and wrenching the two halves apart. He paused for a moment, surveying the damage. He had successfully liberated Bella from the dress, but it was no longer a dress. Instead of giving, the zipper had separated from one side of the fabric and was clinging, partially undone, to the other. He had ripped clean through the bottom, effectively creating a lacy orange tablecloth, and, somehow, there was a small chunk of it left in his fist.

He chanced a guilty glance at Bella who had somehow grown more flushed. They'd stared into each others eyes just long enough for Edward to worry when Bella launched herself at him.

"That was…" She growled. "That was the hottest thing I've ever seen." She kissed his neck while one hand ran through his hair and the other started to frantically rub at the front of Edward's underwear.

"Bella…ungh. You- I can't-" Edward stopped arguing, capturing Bella's mouth and pulling her body close. He situated the moisture-darkened crotch of Bella's panties over his own, thrusting upward steadily, causing her to throw her head back in a scream. She refocused on his face with a real determination, rocking and grinding with perfect rhythm. It quickly became too much.

With obvious effort, Edward pushed Bella's hips back. She slid them forward again.

Edward pushed again, this time bracing his arms to hold her. Bella wrapped her own arms around Edward's back and locked wrists, gaining the leverage she needed to break that hold. With her face buried in his neck and chests smashed together, Bella began moving with purpose, sprinting toward her goal. Edward allowed himself to enjoy the rough pressure for only a moment before the voice crept in.

_Not like this, _it said. _Not her._

Edward once again grabbed for Bella's hips. She immediately stiffened and wrapped herself more tightly to him. But instead of pushing her away, Edward slowed Bella down, softening their passion to a smolder. He turned his head and began kissing along Bella's neck, willing her body to relax. When the last traces of tension dissipated, Edward pulled back enough to look Bella in the eyes. They were closed.

Never abating his torturous pace, Edward asked Bella to open them. She refused.

"Bella, I need you to look at me."

She bit her lip and shook her head.

He tried again. "Bella, please. I need to _see_ you."

Bella's eyes fluttered open, and Edward saw why she would hide them; there was so much emotion swimming just beyond his reach, too much to even put a name to. There was lust, definitely, but it had obviously been overpowered by so many other things: fear and embarrassment, but also joy, and maybe love?

"Don't you want this?" More than anything, than even her eyes, it was Bella's tone that broke Edward down—the sweet, yet wavering question. She was confident in her actions, yet completely unsure, all at the same time. The time for animalistic urge had ended, as had the playful wish of fulfilling fantasy.

"I want _you_," he said, simply. "I want _all_ of you."

Edward was sure he saw a tear, but tried not to focus on it as Bella's lips met his own. He leaned forward, carefully lowering Bella to her back once again. He slid her panties down slowly, tracing their path with his nose and planting soft kisses on her ankle once they were off. Bypassing any further distractions, he moved straight back to Bella's face, kissing her passionately and telling her he'd be right back.

He ran as quickly as he could toward his pants and began rummaging through his wallet. He wasn't sure how something so relatively large could get lost in there, but the condom alluded him for an unacceptable amount of time. He returned to Bella as swiftly as possible, afraid her mood had swung while he was occupied, but all he found was perfect trust and a small smirk patiently awaiting his return.

He started to crawl back toward her, but Bella cleared her throat. Confused, Edward froze and looked up into her amused eyes.

"Edward," she said, pointing down. Was she laughing at his manhood? Was there something wrong with it? Did she- Oh, he still had underwear on.

Edward jumped up again and pulled his boxer briefs down with a too-sharp tug that caused him to hiss. He hopped up on one foot to remove them, but his socks were still in place and they snagged in the process. He bounced around for a minute, finally falling onto the bed in an effort to disentangle himself from his own clothing. He cursed his sexy underwear, wishing he'd gone with boxers instead; they were breathable, comfy, and loose enough to simply fall to a pool on the floor.

With every bit of fabric finally removed, Edward lay back and sighed in relief. In his rush to get naked—and the subsequent battle—he'd momentarily forgotten why he was doing it in the first place. Bella's giggle quickly reminded him.

"You think I'm funny?" he asked, crawling up the bed.

Bella nodded and stifled a laugh. "You were so much cooler in my dreams."

Trying to look hurt, Edward sniffed. "Well, if you'd prefer the fantasy Edward…" He circled his hands over Bella's ankles and ghosted them up toward her thighs. "If you think he's better than the real one…" Edward kissed his way down Bella's chest, making sure to graze her breasts with his cheek. "Maybe I should leave you to it. He _is_ cooler, you know."

Edward pulled away. Bella whimpered and locked her ankles behind his back.

"Then again," she said as he covered her body once again. "This Edward is much warmer, harder"—she bucked her hips and he groaned—"and more responsive than the one I've imagined."

Edward smirked and sat up, ripping open the condom. Bella took it from him and rolled it down his length.

"And you know the best part?" she asked, giving him a firm stroke.

"What's that?" he ground out, eyes dark.

"Every fumble, every misstep, every _minute_ with this Edward reminds me that he's real. You're really here, and it's better than a dream come true."

Edward slid into Bella with a whimper that echoed in each of their chests. It was indescribable, like coming home for the first time in decades, only not knowing until he got there. Like plugging into an outlet with a low, pulsing flow, or drowning in the ocean, but somehow breathing the water.

So many images went through Edward's mind in that moment, each making less sense than the last. Meanwhile, his body moved on auto-pilot, rolling into Bella with slow, shallow thrusts that only served to tease them both further.

"Please. Oh please, oh please, oh please," Bella chanted under her breath, eyes closed.

That sound alone was nearly enough for Edward, but he took a deep breath and collected himself before pulling out almost completely. Bella's eyes popped open as he slammed home, screaming out a "Yes!" when he picked up his new rhythm.

Harder. Faster. She never had to say it. He saw it her eyes. Never losing eye contact, Edward brought Bella's legs to his shoulders, spreading her legs and allowing him to push deeper, explore more of her with every thrust. Bella panted and squirmed, tossed her head from side-to-side, letting Edward know she was close. So close. Her eyes screamed up at him, even when her mouth could only whisper incoherently. She needed more. She needed _him_.

Edward let Bella's legs fall from his shoulders, and they instantly found purchase on his hips. Heels digging into his backside, hands clawing at his shoulders, Bella enveloped Edward as he lay. Chest-to-chest, cheek-to-cheek, each frenzied movement, forcing them closer together, Edward lost all sense of individuality. They were one being, one body, molded perfectly to create this moment. Stars would collide, galaxies align, a new universe would spark into creation when they were through.

Without conscious thought or decision, Edward wrapped his arms around Bella, laying the full weight of his upper body upon her as they pulled and rubbed in unison. Their lips joined at the same time as their hips, one final time as they held each other impossibly closer, putting every available cell into contact with its counterpart. Their hips bucked instinctively, grinding their sensitive areas together as there was no room left for friction. The added sensation prolonged Bella's pleasure, her tight, fluttering walls working Edward to the point of pain. The most pleasurable sort of pain.

He wasn't sure if it was possible, but the exquisite torture of Bella's body wracked Edward with a second wave of pleasure, nearly as powerful as the first. His cock had nothing left to give, but swelled dutifully, twitching and jerking inside her. Bella screamed out at the feeling.

"Oh, my God. Did you just- Oh…Oh…. Shit!"

Bella's second orgasm shook Edward to his core, his over-sensitive body protesting every ripple, even as it reveled in bliss. He shut down and went slack even before Bella had finished. It was too much for one encounter. Too much pleasure. Too much Bella. The two, he'd come to learn, were synonymous.

Edward's body was numb, but he felt the loss of pressure when Bella unfolded around him. Deep down he knew he must be crushing her, but she seemed lost in oblivion. In a move, he'd only seen in movies, Bella scrubbed at her face and pulled her own hair, eyes rolling, chest heaving, flushed, sweaty, and not altogether present. She was either possessed or had just had the most amazing sexual experience Edward had ever witnessed. The former theory became likely when she started speaking in tongues.

Words Edward were certain couldn't possibly have been rooted in English rolled from Bella's tongue in hushed and ragged whispers. Word's like, "pshnomino" and "frasmeris" lumped together with what _might _have once been his name in her head. Edward tried to give her some space and roll off of her, but the moment air had space to move between their bodies, Bella's hands and arms shot around him again, pulling his full weight down on her and shaking her head violently.

Edward chuckled into her neck. "How was that, love?"

"Frmple."

"Did I meet your expectations?"

"Ahh…rzzguw. Mmm." Bella's hands roamed Edward's back and sides lazily, _needing_ the contact. Edward knew the feeling.

"All right, love," he said, lifting his hips enough to disconnect. She whimpered at the separation, and Edward groaned at the real discomfort. Without letting her go—as if she would have allowed that to happen—Edward rolled so that he was on his side, Bella still clinging and pushing into his front.

There—naked, spent, and sweaty—they fell into a sleepless coma, drifting in and out of awareness, but never losing hold on one another. At one point, Edward's arm fell asleep. Some time later, Bella removed her legs from around him and wiggled her hips until they popped. Eventually, Bella turned over, and shifted her head to use the pillow, Edward molding around her like a spoon. It was there, in their new, more comfortable position, that unconsciousness found them.

oOoOo

A soft knock and a small voice announcing "Housekeeping!" stirred Edward from his dreams, all of them starring Bella. Bella on a baseball diamond. Bella in a hotel room. Bella in his bedroom.

The knock sounded again, accompanied by the click of the lock and subsequent turning of the handle of his hotel door. "Housekeeping," the voice said again, strained, chirpy, false. Images flashed through Edward's brain, of Alice coming in to reprimand him, Tanya coming in to seduce, Emmett coming in, to do what he didn't know, but the results would be that of legend.

But the voice never left the small entryway, so Edward never saw its owner. The corner of a small something peeked out from around the corner where it had been placed on the floor, just outside the door's swinging radius, then the lock clicked shut. Edward listened for the sounds of movement or breathing, but there were none.

The giver had gone and Bella was mumbling something about "Finally" into the crook of his elbow. Edward had better things to think about.

oOoOo

Edward awoke in what felt like the middle of the night. Confused, he burrowed beneath the blankets and pulled Bella closer. But there was no Bella. Where had she gone?

Edward jumped out of bed immediately, sprinted toward the door, and earned himself a rug burn on the bottoms of his feet as he skidded to a halt. The item that had been dropped off earlier sat in the entryway, the contents clearly disturbed. Peering in, he recognized a pair of panties. Bella's panties. Bella's panties that she had worn in the car the night they'd met. He'd recognize them anywhere. How could he forget?

Beneath the panties, lay a small piece of paper, elegant script on the cover. Shifting the bag, Edward noticed it was an envelope, with his name on the front.

One night, that's all he'd gotten. One night of utterly blissful perfection, and all he'd walk away with was this lousy letter and a pair of green, lacy underwear he'd vow to never part with. Creepy, he knew, and a notion that would likely wear thin after three, four years, but the sentiment remained the same.

He would never forget her.

Tears collected in his eyes as he ripped open the envelope. He let them fall. What difference would pride make in this, his darkest hour?

"Tough reading?"

Edward screamed at the sound of her voice; he'd thought he was alone. Yet there she stood, freshly showered, wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

"Bella?" he asked, wondering all the while if he might be having an episode.

"Edward," she said back, weary and apprehensive. "If you want me to go, I can…"

Before she could say anything more ridiculous, Edward pulled her into a bone-crushing embrace.

"I thought you left me," he said. "I thought this was from you. Some sort of…Dear John letter or… something."

"And that made you want to cry?" Bella asked his bicep.

"I love you." He said it without thinking, by way of explanation, as though his reasoning should have been obvious. "I'm not ready to let you go."

"You love me?" A hot drop of wet touched Edward's arm at her question.

Was that what he'd said? Did he really love her?

Edward pulled back to look Bella in the eye and said it again. "I love you. I don't know how much yet, if I'm _in love_ or it's _forever love_ or if you could even love me back at this point. All I know is that the thought of losing you, of never seeing you again, I- I'm- I'm definitely a girl. That has to be the answer. No man would react like this after one night of sex."

"Making love," Bella corrected, wiping at his cheek. "What we did this afternoon was definitely an act of new love, and I, for one, would freak the _fuck_ out if I thought I'd lost it."

Edward chuckled, "You've been hanging out with me for too long."

"Uh uh. Not long enough," Bella said with a smile and a kiss. "Not _nearly _long enough."

Edward tried to deepen their kiss and begin where they'd left off before he'd broken down and cried like a little girl with a headless Barbie, but Bella wasn't having it.

"So what is this letter, really?" Bella pulled Edward to the couch and sat between his legs, closing her eyes to allow Edward a private moment with his envelope.

The first thing Edward noticed when he pulled out his letter was the tiny bulge in the envelope that rolled down into the corner. He tipped the paper into his palm, and out fell a tiny white bead. It was a pony bead, Edward remembered their popularity in his grade school years. Tanya had latched on to the trend, extending it to high school where she'd…

Was this from her? Her bead? Her letter? Had she been in his room? Edward shuddered at the thought of Tanya walking in on him and Bella…in the act. Before he could overreact further, Edward glanced down at the signature on the letter.

_Love,_

_Tanya_

Crap.

"What?" Bella stirred and glanced up at Edward.

"What? What'd I say?"

"You said 'crap.'"

"I did?"

"Yeah, what's crap?"

"The letter, it's from Tanya."

"And this?" Bella asked, picking up the bead. Edward knocked it from her hand.

"I don't know. Don't touch it. It's probably the kid's virginity bead."

"Virginity bead? You lost me."

"Well, ya know, because it's white, and white is…pure, I guess."

"Still don't follow."

"Let's just pretend this never happened," Edward said, stuffing the letter between the cushions of the couch. "I don't want Tanya to ruin the rest of our weekend."

"God, Edward, you really are a woman." Bella pulled the letter out and smoothed the paper. Edward thought she would hand it back for him to revisit later, but she started reading it instead. He wanted to stop her, but she started laughing after a moment and the sound was too beautiful to interrupt.

Once she'd finished, she handed the paper over, urging Edward to "just read the damn letter."

With much trepidation, he read. It wasn't particularly funny, but it did explain a lot. Tanya had thanked him for his honesty and, oddly enough, his rejection. She thanked him for seeing her as worthy of real affection, even if it wasn't his. She wished him love and happiness and offered a slew of apologies. For pushing him, for stalking him, for cornering him in that locker room. She even apologized for bringing Bella's clothes.

_I know it will be torture for you, but she has to get dressed at some point. How would you get her home?_

This made Edward chuckle. How indeed? The bridesmaid's dress could only be written off as a casualty.

And the bead?

_Enclosed is the bead I'd been saving for you. It was meant to represent the "white hot love" we'd make. Don't laugh. Okay, laugh. I know it's stupid. What do you want? I was 16, and you were EDWARD CULLEN. If there's anything closer to pure heaven than a teenage Edward Cullen to a teenage Any Girl, I can't possibly think of it. Ask Bella what I mean, if she hasn't already told you._

_Love,_

_Tanya_

_P.S._

_Alice sent me, if you were wondering. Emmett has no clue. You're secret's safe. For now. But you should probably tell him before he figures it out. Just sayin._

Edward laughed as he finished the letter, taking the bead Bella had retrieved from her fingers.

"_White hot love_, huh?" she teased. "You really think you've earned this?"

"This?" Edward asked, holding it up for inspection. "One little bead, that's all I'm worth to you?"

Bella chuckled in response.

"You're going to wish you never said that," Edward promised, trapping her in his arms. She shuddered as though in fear, but Edward knew she was game. If she wasn't ready to get dirty again, she shouldn't have left her panties at the bottom of the bag.

* * *

**So, how'd I do? Sorry if I turned anyone off with the randomness in the middle, but that's the way it happened. It was supposed to be an instant, thorough love scene, but Bella was like, "I'm not interested in foreplay." Then Edward was like, "Wait, I need a condom!" And this is what you got. *sigh***

**Also, I originally wrote this as a gift for addicted-to-romione-bedward, but I get the feeling that this isn't her cup of tea. I hope she doesn't hate it, and I do have an additional o/s planned based on one of her other prompts. No dates or guarantees, but it will be my first attempt at Edward/Jasper slash. Pure smuttiness, unless Bella butts in, cause she always adds some drama.  
**


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